


Kibou Hoshi

by CinnaMonroe



Category: SD Gundam Force
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Brainwashing, Character Development, Cold Weather, Creation Myth, Death, Drama, Evil, F/M, Gen, Hope, Ice, Imprisonment, Japanese language, Loss, Magic, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Prophecy, Regret, Secret characters, filling canon plotholes, low key shipping, pop culture references, super natural - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-06-14 05:47:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 102,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15382011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CinnaMonroe/pseuds/CinnaMonroe
Summary: Peace is once more with the Dark Axis' disbandment since General Zeong's fall more than a year ago and the crisis on Kaon resolved... that is until strange things start happening including Zero having cryptic dreams and a voice calling from faraway. The planet Kendra is suffering and the evil there is planning to spread. Can the SDG act in time and learn what "kibou hoshi" is or will this new enemy reach everyone's worlds and beyond?





	1. Déjà vu! A Mysterious Attack

**Author's Note:**

> This thing has been a long time in the making. The original version was uploaded on Mediaminer back in 2006 (up to chapter 6) and it's been a slow endeavor to finish this project after various writer's blocks, hiatuses, revisions and edits. Presently 9 out of 12ish chapters are written, the others planned and partially written. You can read the PDF novel format of this chapter on my [deviantart](http://fav.me/dccgawb)
> 
> Also this is written as a sequel to PumpkinaChai's "Tides" fic which is being revised and rewritten (original version was posted around the same as the first draft as this), but anyone who read the previous version will understand what's going on. Given it's currently not posted I'll drop refreshers when I make references so new readers won't feel totally lost and not be spoiled for what's the come in her awesome revised fic.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neotopia is peaceful once more following the SDG's adventures in Kaon months ago, the group having successfully foiled a multi-dimensional invasion. Things seem back to normal but Zero's mind seems to be elsewhere while his companions border on restless and relaxed. However their casual day is interrupted when a strange yet familiar event arises...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can read the PDF novel format of this chapter on my [deviantart](http://fav.me/dccgawb)

[](http://fav.me/dccgawb)  


The sun shone brightly in the clear blue sky, letting its golden rays fall toward the earth as if it were reaching out to touch the land beneath it. Peaceful looking clouds floated in the sky, no hit of a storm in them. The city in the distance was active as usual, running on perfect harmony. It was the very picture of its society type: utopia. 

Neotopia: the place where humans and robotic kind alike lived in harmony and true bliss.

“Catch Captain!” A voice called out, a stark contrast to what had been peaceful silence in the atmosphere. A large red ball sailed through the air before a blue and white military looking gundam caught it with ease. He turned toward who had tossed it, his blue colored eyes blinking. 

“Got it, Shute.”

“Great catch!” His companion, a brown haired tween boy grinned, his green eyes bright, “Now toss it to someone else!”

“Here, catch it Bakunetsumaru!” Captain threw the ball to a red and white gundam with yellow horns on his helmet and orient looking red battle armor, complete with twin katana blades hanging on either side of his hips. A true samurai: a musha gundam.

Bakunetsumaru caught the ball, looking at it strangely. After a moment, he tossed it back at Shute while muttering something unintelligible. Either way, his brown eyes did not hold much enthusiasm or joy that could come close to Shute's. Something was on his mind and it was not fun and games.

“May I ask how this exercise is to help us train?” Captain inquired at his human friend as Shute caught the ball. The military gundam was in his original model form, not in his now familiar Option F due to it getting some lengthy tune-ups that would have put him out of commission for a while; besides Shute had insisted in not needing the extra modifications for this. His four-legged companion, GunCanine, was currently undergoing the same treatment, hence his absence from this activity he’d probably enjoy. 

In truth, seeing Captain like that made it seem like old times before the final battle against the Dark Axis and more than one person was enjoying the nostalgia. However Captain's inquires were hardly missed as the Neotopian gundam continued, “I see it only as a fun human exercise. Besides, I do daily maintained and combat training at the base.”

Shute met Captain's blue optics while he gripped the ball, a smile forming. “It improves your reflexes and coordination. Besides, it’s just like you said: it’s for fun.” The boy then jerked his head over his shoulder toward his house that they were in front of. “Also, I have to keep Nana entertained. I’m supposed to be watching her too you know.”  


His little sister giggled and smiled from her place at the table, clapping her hands with glee as she kicked her legs in anticipation. Her blue eyes were focused on the two gundams in interest even though she had known them since she was an infant. She waved at Shute, still giggling though managing a peppy, “Hello!”

Bakunetsumaru seemed to smile as he looked over at Nana, who was now a toddler, momentarily coming out of his own thoughts. “Humans sure are strange creatures. They’re so complex. That is, I mean, they’re entertained by anything.” The tiny human just laughed once more and smiled at the trio.

“Well, let’s keep going! We can’t skip out on the training!” Shute turned back to his gundam companions, one hand on his hip as he held up the ball in the other, now with a cocky smile.

“But I thought you just said it was fun, Shute. How can training be fun? Or have you switched tactics with this exercise?” Captain asked, returning his dark blue gaze to Shute. “Shouldn’t we focus on one thing at a time; either training or fun, not both?”

Shute sweated as he struggled to explain to Captain, the ever logical and calculating gundam. “It’s like relaxing. You know-” He then went on for a minute, hoping that Captain would understand. After he had stopped Bakunetsumaru let out a “hmph” before replying,

“As if I need training. What do you think I did all day in my homeland, Ark?” he puffed out his chest showing off his blue GunSoul, it being the very heart of his warrior's spirit and inner fire. “My skills as a samurai warrior are superior to any, especially more than any villainous being’s! Years of training have allowed me to become one of Ark’s top warriors. That is why I am Bakunetsumaru, the Blazing Samurai!”

“Maybe, Baku, but it wouldn’t hurt.” Shute replied slightly exasperated at his companion's indifference and momentary prideful moment, tossing the ball to Captain once more. “I mean come on! Can't we just play and relax since there’s no mission? Last big adventure we had was on Kaon five months ago.”

“Things have been too quiet since then but that doesn’t mean I’ve slacked off with my abilities! Doesn’t partaking in this mean that we’re rusty and need practice?”  


“You know, there's such a thing such as over thinking.”

“I still think that I don’t need it!” Bakunetsumaru argued, but continued with the “training,” still muttering to himself. Secretly however, he did not mind the activity too much. Something within him was restless, as if knowing a storm was brewing somewhere distant; not knowing exactly what bothered him made the Blazing Samurai restless and want to act upon his pride and honor as a samurai warrior.

Not too far from the group, another gundam that was white and indigo stood, minding his own business and not partaking in the activity. His armor was like a knight’s, his helmet adored with wings while a red cape hung down from his back. A gentle calm passing breeze nudged the cape into motion while the knight gundam's flight boosters caused him to hover above the ground, canceling out the illusion of standing. His teal eyes were focused on the field beyond the house that the others stood by.

“These flowers here are so beautiful and delicate. They are almost like the ones back in my homeland…” He turned his gaze toward the sky as his mind drifted to another place, “Lacroa…” The knight gundam snapped his fingers and a purple-blue flower appeared between them. Holding the flower with care, the Winged Knight stared at the princess rose from his homeland. 

“Princess Rele…” He trailed off as memories of his homeland and his beloved Princess Relehimana surfaced. Both were safe now that they had been delivered from the threat of the evil Dark Axis but the longing to be home was undeniable within Zero. For two years he had been exiled from his homeland and even though he was free to return without threat of the Dark Axis, missions with the Gundam Force now pulled him away once more.

Even so, the sudden longing to be home was confusing to the knight gundam.

“Why have I been feeling this way lately? Is this a sense of foreboding?” Something inside him nagged at him, telling him he had someone he had to protect and save... but both Lacroa and the Princess were safe... who was it that needed him? “It’s almost as if there’s been an extra weight in my chest lately, a strange feeling of energy within…. Yet I cannot access it and at times it even pains me…. Is that also a sign? In all of Mana, **what was it**!?”

Suddenly, a yell sliced through the lone gundam's trance in his memory bank and interrupted his processing. “Whoa! Watch out Zero!”

“Huh!?” Zero exclaimed, pivoting around toward the noise, bewildered by the sudden disruption, “Wha-” The word was cut off when the red ball that the others had been playing with smacked into his face, knocking him over with its force. The ball then bounced and rolled unharmed a few feet away while the Lacroa gundam laid spread out the ground, dazed and in shock.

“Sorry, Zero.” Captain apologized as he, Bakunetsumaru and Shute rushed over to the fallen knight who had been slain by the evil red sphere monster. “I think I projected the ball to Baku with too much force, causing him to miss it.” The military gundam paused for a moment, scrolling though his database. “I guess my calculations were wrong…”

“Uh...,” Zero moaned, his vision still spinning as his optical processors were jarred, “It’s alright, I’m fine.” The knight shook his head to get the dazed look out of his eyes and clear his buzzing circuits.

“I tried to warn you.” Shute stated in an apologetic tone, the young human leaning down next to Zero. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, I am fine. You just caught me off guard, that is all.” The indigo gundam sat up, trying not to wince. His ego hurt worse, but he wished not to show it out of pride. A knight of Lacroa would not be phased by a small incident like this. “I shall be alright in a moment.”

“Haha! And I thought you said you have fast reflexes! That’s why you bowed out of our exercise.” Bakunetsumaru scoffed at Zero, the musha looking somewhat smug. His brown eyes turned upward as he continued in a mocking yet playful tone, “And you call yourself a Royal Knight of Lacroa!?”

“What’s that supposed to mean!?” Zero yelled, glaring up at Bakunetsumaru from his spot on the ground. The knight's vision spun slightly still but his fingers clenched, balling up into a fist by his side. Was Bakunetsumaru looking for a fight?

“It means you’re slow, I’m fast. I have better reflexes, you don’t. I’m the superior gundam!” Bakunetsumaru chuckled with glee, enjoying a rare chance to poke at Zero's pride and declare that he, the Blazing Samurai, was better. Besides, as much as he did not want to admit it, he messed up more that Zero and got made fun of while Zero always fought to maintain his grace. Unfortunately the Ark gundam had no idea that he was rubbing salt into the wound this time and that Zero was not anywhere near good humor.

Zero’s teal eyes narrowed instantly, his circuits seemingly throbbing with anger. He snapped in annoyance, “Are not!”

“Am too!”

“Are not!’

“Am too!”

“Are NOT!”

“Am TOO!”

“I’ll show **you** superior gundam!” Zero exclaimed, using his voice processor's full volume, displaying his temper. Leaping to his feet he swiftly called upon his pact with Mana, causing his Buster Sword to appear as it was summoned. As soon as he pulled the sword from its sheath in his shield, the Winged Knight pointed it at the Blazing Samuari while his flight boosters kicked in, causing him to rise off the ground. “Have at it, fiend!” Zero growled, showing that he was very much so serious in actually engaging a battle.

“Look who’s talking, **fiend**!” Bakunetsumaru shouted back, his own temper flaring at the insult, taking great offense. He had just been poking fun, but since Zero was serious he would be too. The Blazing Samurai's good-humor ceased as he jumped away from Zero, drawing his twin katana blades.

“Oh boy, here they go again.” Shute moaned as the two swordsmen gundams began to fight, the sound of their clashing blades carrying across the meadow. The human backed away to watch in a safe distance, knowing from past history not to be caught in the middle. Captain, having nothing else to do but watch as he knew acting as a referee would prove futile, joined Shute's side to observe.

“How’s this for fast reflexes!?” Zero shouted as he swiped at samurai, only to be blocked by both katana. The Lacroa gundam's grunted as he put force behind his attack, trying to off set his opponent's balance.

“Hah! You call that fast!?” Bakunetsumaru taunted, bracing himself as he continued to block Zero's stream of attacks. With confidence growing at an advantage over an angered Zero, the Ark gundam laughed, “Entengo is faster than you!”

“No, I call **this** fast!” Zero suddenly broke his attack and swung away from Bakunetsumaru, pivoting in midair while his flight boosters sustained his attack. He then spun in a full circle, momentarily exposing his back to his opponent but doing it so quickly, Bakunetsumaru had no time to slip in an attack. In truth the move caused Zero to gain some distance away from the samurai, far enough from either side's sword strikes.

“What’s he doing?” Shute asked, his eyes wide with wonder, the human baffled by Zero's strategy. Indeed the move had been fast but what was Zero trying to do by gaining distance? Shute silently hoped that Zero was not planning on making this fight far more serious by using his signature attack, Super Magical Violet Tornado. Usually the two's fights were just verbal battles or even exchanging of light sword blows; never anything that had to do with full out power attacks of wind and fire.

“Beats me.” Captain replied plainly, continuing to watch the fight as multiple scenarios and forms of attacks appeared in his database, “I am unfamiliar with this attack formation from him...” The military gundam then flicked the green scanner over his eye so he could analyze Zero's moves better.

Their question was answered when Zero suddenly swung his sword downward as he dipped to one side and moved backwards. In a blur of motion, the flat side of the Buster Sword smacked the infamous red ball that Zero had managed to get close to with his previous retreating movements. The connection with the sword and ball made a loud crack sound as the ball was sent flying through the air near top speed right at Bakunetsumaru.

“Ha! Is that all you’ve got!?” Bakunetsumaru laughed, his confidence instantly boosted as soon as he realized Zero's childish attack; anger must be clouding his sense. “Watch me swat this like it was a fly!” The samurai crowed, knowing that the ball would do him no damage as his blades could slice through it like a knife through butter.

“No, **this** is!” Zero shouted as he suddenly launched himself too with full force, propelling himself like a gundamium rocket. The Winged Knight's temper was still flaring and he wanted to put his comrade in his place. His sole desire was to get Bakunetsumaru off guard and knock him flat on his back as well, giving him the same treatment of humiliation that he had suffered. Still, something in his chest pulsed in warning but he ignored it, the strange sensation only annoying him further.

Bakunetsumaru jerked in surprise at the revelation of Zero's plan. Block both the ball and Zero!? He gritted his teeth behind his mouth plate as he waited for his targets to move in closer, sliding a foot back to better his footing. He just had to wait for the right moment to knock them away… 

Captain’s v-shaped head ornament started to flash, something that had in fact not happened in a long while.

“Attention: Unknown activity in Sector 5. Request for investigation. Caution is advised.” Captain stated with an almost blank look in his eyes as he relayed the message that he was receiving. He then focused back on Zero and Bakunetsumaru as soon as the transmission ended, transfer of information to the Neotopian gundam completed.

“Huh!?” Zero and Bakunetsumaru shouted in unison, both pausing, looking as if suspended in space while time stopped. They turned their heads to stare at Captain; Zero floating in midair with his sword outstretched and Bakunetsumaru with his swords still crossed in front of him-as if warding off an evil spirit with an “x” sign.

Unfortunately, even though the two of them had stopped, the third thing involved had not. 

With no warning the ball smashed into the side of Bakunetsumaru’s turned head. The force and surprise of the contact from the momentarily forgotten ball caused him to flop over and bounce once before landing on his rear. The startled samurai could not help letting out a grunt of pain and surprise, “ARG!”

Shute tried to stifle as laugh when he saw the musha’s reaction, his brown eyes wide with confusion. The human boy tried to put on a concerned look while he fought to suppress his smile even though he truly was worried. 

“You okay, Baku?” He called to the knocked over samurai gundam. Shute held up a hand to his face and turned away for a moment, unable to help part of a laugh to escape his mouth.

“Why I ought to-” Bakunetsumaru stated after a few moments, finally regaining his composure and comprehending what happened. Shaking with anger with a few veins pulsing, he quickly got up but was cut off by Zero who pushed past him, completely ignoring the musha's words.

“Yes, he’s fine but what do you mean ‘unknown’ activity?” The Winged Knight hastily inquired, his teal eyes serious. A sparring match or simple dispute fight between comrades could be put on hold if something more serious came up. Even though Bakunetsumaru was still fuming he too looked concerned about the report.

Captain tilted his head as he went over the information he obtained from headquarters. “For some odd reason, it appears that the activity patterns are identical to the Dark Axis. What is more peculiar is that it matches ones from their previous invasion plans. However, that is highly unlikely that it is them due to their current stationing in Ark as reformed robots.”

Shute's green eyes widened in disbelief, “The Dark Axis here?” He shook his head, while shrugging, “You’re right, Captain, it can’t be them. They’re helping Genkimaru!” 

“As I stated, what's strange is that the activity patterns are for the **Dark Axis** , not necessarily that group.” Captain added, clarifying since everyone instantly thought of the only known head survivors: Zapper Zaku, Grappler Gouf, and Destroyer Dom. All thoughts floated toward the trio of ex-Axian lords and their band of Zako Soldiers who had once terrorized not only Neotopia but Ark and Lacroa as well.

“That is indeed strange, considering the low percentage of Dark Axis army survivors and how most of them relocated to Ark... Why in Mana would they be wreaking havoc here like old times?” Zero mused darkly as he floated next to Bakunetsumaru, both still clutching their swords. The remaining members of the insidious organization had apparently turned good or simply disbanded and gone underground. In Ark they were assisting to build up Genkimaru’s army to help him rule and fend the land from invaders as part of the Genki Energy Force. 

Still, Zero had not fully forgiven them for turning his homeland to stone, which was now restored thanks to the SDG’s efforts. It was a past deed but not all could be forgiven and forgotten, even if Zero and his allies did team up with Zapper, Grappler and Dom in recent adventures. There had been countless lost lives during the Lacroa invasion.

“Well, the incoming report says the disruption is coming from an old part of the city which happens to be a few miles away from the actual city.” Captain replied as he finished going through the newly obtained information. “It’s only an old abandoned construction site now where repairs and reconstruction had been started. Even if it is the Zapper’s crew, I’m not sure what they would find there that could help Genkimaru’s cause. Otherwise it is possible it’s some stragglers who are still fighting for the cause of the Dark Axis.” The military robot cocked his head, thinking the situation over. “Besides, Genkimaru probably would have sent a message over that they were coming.”

“Uh.. I don’t know if we could count on that.” Shute replied, letting out a nervous chuckle in reflection of his confidence in the kid gundam.  
Genkimaru did not like to be bossed around or told what to do; he’d rather be the one bossing. Though the bratty musha did seem to admire Captain somewhat, having shown great concern when Captain was heavily damaged during his battle with Professor Gerbera, or rather Magnug in disguise. With that in mind, it was possible he would alert the SDG about sending some of his recruits but he was unpredictable, though loyal and caring to the core despite trying to hide it with tough bratty antics. 

“I wonder what those fiends are up too.” Bakunetsumaru growled, rubbing his face as he came over to Captain and Shute, the area of the ball's blow still beet red from his facial injury that reached his pride as well. Sheathing his katana blades momentarily, the Blazing Samurai pondered. “Still, why don’t they just send a message first? It would cause less of a problem, especially if it is just them.” The samurai’s remark was half serious and the other was joking though he did not sound happy, despite the speculation that the visitors had come from his homeland. “I hope they’re not the bearers of bad news."

“Well, we’d better hurry and find out!” Shute replied as he started to run back to his house to inform his mom of his absence and turn the care of his sister back over. The brown haired boy tried mulling over the situation as he hastened. If something really bad was happening in Ark, they need to find out soon. Even though the Dark Axis’s forces was now on good’s side, the SDG had to keep an eye on their actives; especially if they were under the command of Genkimaru who was prone to mischief and doing things that would only benefit himself.

*~*~*

“Hold it Dom! Easy… Hold it. Hold it… Wait! Wait! Not ye-”

A large and loud explosion cut the voice off, drowning out the last part of the word with its ear-splitting sound. 

“I said not yet!” A burgundy robot yelled as he sailed through the air. His lone circular pink eye, glared down. “You metal moron! Do you want to blow the whole place up-with **us** in it!?”

“Oh, shut it, **Zipper**!” A blue robot, with an identical mono eye, flexed his left hand that was clawed at the burgundy robot who was now all black and smoking. “Quit your yammering and get moving! All your talking is giving **me** a headache!”

“It’s Zapper you-you-you clawed FREAK!” The burgundy robot spat, steam and smoke still radiating off of him. “Why did I get stuck with you two **idiots**!? I could handle this mission myself! It was my original assignment anyways! Alooone!”

“Oh sure! The great Lord Zapper Zaku can do **anything**! Even blow up a few stupid gundams; which shouldn’t be too hard! But nooo!” The blue one spat back, pointing his clawed hand accusingly. “You can’t do anything, let alone right!”

“You’re the one to talk Grappler Gouf! You couldn’t slice that flower gundam if you wanted to!” Zapper yelled pointing at his comrade. “Remember that you came on this assignment **second**! You can’t even blow-”

“Me want to make them go BOOM!” A larger dark red and black robot, also with one eye, suddenly broke in. He leapt up onto a platform, pointing two bazookas at some large tanks not too far from the villainous trio. “Destroyer Dom going to make BIG boom!” He laughed deeply, without much thought as he took aim.

“No, Dom!”

Grappler and Zapper tackled in unison, knocking him to the ground, causing him to drop his weapons. They skidded away from his grasp across the pavement, triggers untouched.

“Not while we’re near them you lugnut!” Zapper snapped, seething. “I already got blasted once today and that’s all I need!”

“Well then, we’d better get up high so we can blast this place without **us** getting caught in it.” Grappler replied from his spot on Dom’s back, still pinning the absent-minded robot down. “We just better hurry before that blasted Gundam Force comes!”

“Yay! We make them go boom!”

“Enough with the ‘booms’!” Grappler snapped, whacking Dom in the head. “Just get on the-” He did not get to finish his sentence as a familiar voice called out to them.

“Having some trouble?”

“Great! It’s the gundams!” Zapper yelled sarcastically, drawing his two machine guns. He then raised his gatling gun that was strapped to his back. “Let’s invite them to some target practice.” His eye glowing with anticipation as he spoke, “Ah, it looks like my old nemesis has arrived!” Zapper smiled as Captain landed a few feet in front of him.

Captain looked confused at the unfriendly sight. What were the Axian robots doing and why the hostility? He drew his gun that he had brought in precaution. “Anything that you are in need of Zapper Zaku? A simple supply order would have been justified. I am certain Genkimaru knows that.”

“What are you talking about, Captain!? Quit your babbling! All I am in need of is kicking your sorry tin can all over this city!!” The burgundy robot looked menacing, stopping his foot impatiently, “It’s time for revenge!”

“Dah, that’s right!” Dom nodded in agreement as he sat up, “Take you down!”

“Shut up you two! Now Captain Gundam,” Grapper interrupted, “Where is the rest of your company? Or did you finally decide to lay them off?”

“Something’s not right.” Captain flicked down the green scanner over his eye as he tried to run an analysis on the trio. Their behavior was very nostalgic but what they were saying was basically a repeat of the past: back when the Dark Axis still existed and was trying to take over the universe. 

Unable to pick up anything on his scanner, Captain solemnly came to a conclusion. With a million questions running through his processors and various scenarios being formulated, Captain stated a phrase that had not been utter in a long time: “I have been granted a special dispensation to use firearms to prevent the invasion of Neotopia. Lay down your weapons and withdraw at once!” With determination, the military gundam pointed his gun at Zapper and the two other lords, wary but sure to settle things. “You and your whole company must comply.” 

“You’re so **stupid**! You say that every time we come! Don’t you get the hint yet, Captain **Gundumb**!?” Zapper screeched, his annoyance evident as he aimed his trio of guns at the Neotopian gundam. “We’re not leaving until we have completed our mission and I’ve personally turned you into scrap!”

“Quit yammering and just blow him up!” Grappler yelled as he drew his sword that was attached to a shield-like scabbard on his clawed hand’s arm, discarding it. “Dom and I will handle the rest!” He turned around and started to head towards a large yellow air ship and had a giant single pink eye that was parked a few yards away. Captain's blue eyes widened in surprise at the sight of it.  
The Komusai II?

“Hold it right there, coward!” A voice called out, stopping Grappler in his tracks just as a large gust of wind came speeding towards the blue robot. The timing was close but Grappler managed to miss getting hit by the all too familiar attack.

Grappler glared behind him as he spun around to face his opponent. “Oh great! It’s you, the Lacroa gundam!” He frowned at the blue knight gundam that floated in the air only a few feet away.

“Yes, it is I, Zero: the Winged Knight! Or have you forgotten me?” Zero's teal eyes hardened as he watched for the light blue robot's reaction. “It's time to put an end to what ever devious plans you have, Grappler.” The knight had seen the trio's reaction to Captain. He was unimpressed and rather annoyed that they had gone back to how things were in the Dark Axis: resorting to theft, fear and chaos. Something struck him though: why were they talking of past things as if they were current? As if the Dark Axis was still in function?

“Oh please, spare me the soap opera.” Grappler muttered to himself before waving his sword at Zero. “Come get me than you pathetic excuse of a gundam! I’ll shred you into so many pieces that you’ll blow away with the wind!”

“Your threats mean nothing to me.” Zero replied calmly, pointing his sword at Grappler. “Your meaningless actions have no style or impact.” The Lacroa gundam spoke, casting all stray thoughts aside. Whatever the Axian trio was doing, it certainly was not good. He would ask questions as he dealt with Grappler though the robot obviously would not cooperate easily if at all.

“Oh! Now that **really** got me!” Grappler glared, his eye flaring. “Destroyer Dom!” He called out, addressing his comrade, “Go now! Proceed with the mission! Stick with the plan!” He turned his attention back to Zero, leaping at him, “I’ll clip your wings, knight!”

“Ahaha!” Dom laughed, zooming away from his comrades and towards some large crates and metal containers. “Me going to make gundams go boom!”

“Not yet you villain!” A shadow flew over Dom right before the owner of it landed in front of him.

“Ooo! It’s the wittle samurai gundam!” Dom laughed as he slid to a stop, his focus now on Bakunetsumaru. “Does the wittle lost samurai wanna play?”

“If you’re trying to taunt me, then it’s working! Do you not fear my anger!? I, Bakunetsumaru, the Blazing Samurai of Ark!?” He waved his twin katana blades at Dom. “What’s this? Taunting me when you have no weapons? Are you already giving up and planning to continue your treachery to Genkimaru and Ark while locked away?” 

Presently, the musha’s temper was already above normal. The trio had come unannounced and was now acting suspiciously, namely the “blowing up” part that he happened to over hear from Dom. Truthfully part of the source of anger was from getting hit in the face with the ball by Zero.

“Uh huh huh huh!” The large robot laughed manically like he’d been told the funniest joke in existence. “As if! Me no lose! Gallop! Operation Force Blow!”

Suddenly, a yellow box shaped machine sped out from behind some crates, rushing straight at Bakunetsumaru, as if attempting to ram him. He easily dodged the mindless machine though he could not hide his surprise as it screeched to a stop in front of Dom. The Gallop opened its doors and shot out two more bazookas to replace the ones Dom had dropped earlier then proceeded to deposit a rocket launcher as well.

Bakunetsumaru's brown eyes widened more at the familiar scene of the trailer type machine that Dom used to tow behind him. Hadn't all the Dark Axis weapons been confiscated or destroyed? Where had they gotten a hold of the old weapons? How had Dom found another Gallop; not to mention one that was packed full of weapons?

“Ha ha! Prepare to go boom, gundam!” Dom cackled as he grabbed a bazooka in each hand as the rocket launcher landed next to him.

“Go ahead and try you spawn of evil!” Bakunetsumaru yelled back at the Dark Axis lord, ready for any attack. If this really was betrayal, he was going to make them all pay, in the name of Ark!

*~*~*

“Ahaha! Getting a little rusty are we, Captain?” Zapper mocked as he rapidly shot. Captain zoomed around him, shooting his beam gun, his bullets whizzing by the robot like harmless insects or all together missing him. “Your aim is off Captain! Or am I just getting better!? Probably the latter!” Zapper smiled as he shot off his triple guns, laughing like a maniac.

“I wasn’t aiming for you.” Came the calm reply.

“What!?” Zapper shrieked, glaring at Captain with his lone pink eye. “You’re bluffing! Why wouldn’t you be aiming at me!?”

“Look up.” Captain instructed as he suddenly stopped racing around and pointed his gun straight above Zapper fired one final shot.

“What!?” Zapper shouted once more as he looked up just in time to see a beam that had been hanging from an old crane falling down on him. “Ah-arg!” He screamed as the beam came crashing down on top of him. The force of the beam's fall pinned the burgundy robot to the ground, causing him to drop his two machine guns and pin down his gatling gun to his back, rendering it useless since it could not swivel around to shoot. “Hey! No fair! Get this blasted beam off of me!”

“Alright! One down, two to go!” Shute shouted as he ran next to Captain from the safe distance he had been watching the fight. “Great work, Captain! Now perhaps we can get some answers of what’s going on.”

“I thank you, Shute. And yes, perhaps we can acquire useful data. I wished to avoid inflicting any serious or permanent damage to Zapper that could cause hindrance to him cooperating.”

“ARG! It’s not over yet! Zako Soldiers: Attack!” Zapper roared as he struggled to get up though it was futile. Almost as if out of nowhere, a group of little green robots, all with one eye, popped out from numerous places. Not only did they have superior numbers but each also clutched a weapon that seemed capable of nasty damage.

“Uh oh!” Shute exclaimed as some of the Zakos hopped down from above, starting to surround Captain. It seemed that not only Zapper, Grappler and Dom had betrayed Genkimaru, but even the Zakos who easily devoted themselves to the kid gundam had come back to Neotopia to cause destruction. To the human the little green robot's betrayal was the most surprising.

“Get back, Shute!” Captain commanded as he held up his old shield as incoming bullets came flying at him. In his haste to get to the place of the activity, Captain had not returned to the base to swap his armor to his most updated form. Still, as long as he had to protect Shute and Neotopia, the military gundam would fight strongly. He’d beaten foes back countless times before any upgrades.

“You don’t need to tell me twice!” Shute called back over his should as he ran away, back to a safe distance. Already he was trying to form some kind of plan to help assist his gundam friend. If only he had his special cement glue with him!

Zapper let out a laugh as he witnessed Captain being harassed by the Zakos. “This fight isn’t even close to being finished!” He yelled while some Zakos tried to lift the fallen beam off of him but were finding it to be difficult. Waving his arms furiously, Zapper turned his verbal abuse toward his soldiers, “Hurry up you tin cans!”

*~*~*

“Hiya!” Zero directed his Buster Sword at Grappler, swinging the blade in hopes of disarming the strange acting robot. The Winged Knight was trying to fight seriously as his opponent was obviously not holding back, but he could not help restraining himself a bit; he didn't want to damage Grappler too much, only cause him to submit and talk.

Grappler blocked Zero’s move with his clawed hand, the force behind the blow not being enough to detach the claw from the robot's hand. “You’ll have to do better than that!” He snarled as he quickly slashed at the gundam with his razor sharp claws. With another swift movement, he swung his sword at the Winged Knight, hoping to catch the gundam in one of his strikes.

Zero jumped backwards, Grappler’s sword and claws just barely missing his cape, the force behind the strikes causing a small breeze to ripple through its red fabric. “What are you talking about? I haven’t even started!” Zero hastily replied, realizing he had to get serious before pointing his sword to the sky. “Oh Mana! Come to me!” The knight beckoned the magical life force he had a pact with, feeling power surge through him.

“Super Magical Violet Tornado!” With a strong arm, Zero swung his sword toward Grappler, pointing in his direction. A giant gale wind surged past Zero and swooped down towards Grappler, little violet petals dancing in the vortex.

“Not again!” Grappler yelled as the torrent of wind collided into him, swallowing up before sending him flying through the sky. “This isn't over!” The blue robot's fading voice screamed as he disappeared from view.

“I did not want to have to resort to such tactic.” Zero sighed, lowering his Buster sword, feeling some guilt and conflict coming over him. “Even if Grappler and the others have gone back to their old ways, something just doesn't feel right... I can sense it. Even so Grappler did not volunteer much information. He mentioned nothing about Ark and acted liked he did not know who Genkimaru was.” 

The knight broke his gaze from his sword, glancing around to take in his surroundings revealing that his battle had moved both of them further away from the others. Unfortunately with that last attack Grappler had been sent off flying somewhere unknown. 

Zero's clear teal eyes became serious once more, “I had best return to join the others. I perhaps can assist them with detaining Zapper Zaku and Destroyer Dom.” With a quick turn, the Winged Knight engaged his flight boosters to their full capabilities and headed back toward the last known location of his comrades, feeling something lightly stir within his core.

*~*~*

“Ahaha! Look at the brave samurai run!” Dom chortled as he unleashed a rain of shots at Bakunetsumaru who was managing dodging them all. The red musha gundam was forced into a defensive tact, unable to move in for close combat. The battle itself looked more like an easy game of dodge ball, except with bullets.

Bakunetsumaru's brown eyes hardened as he concentrated in avoiding the bullets, his hands clutching his twin katana blades even harder. What was up with the Axian trio? Usually fighting them was a bit harder than this, not that Bakunetsumaru minded the ease. Still, the one thought formed in his processors: were they simply trying to stage a fight? For what reason and why act like the Dark Axis still existed? 

The samurai’s thoughts snapped back into battle as a bullet whizzed by his head, narrowly missing. “Tch.” Bakunetsumaru frowned behind his mouthplate, choosing to take a retreating tactic for now. 

While he was more for aggressive tactics, Bakunetsumaru knew that being reserved could serve as an advantage to gain information from an opponent. Captain had the ability to be aggressive and reserved to divulge information, but so far it was not working. The Blazing Samurai was getting annoyed and his suspicion for betrayal seemed more plausible.

However, as the Ark gundam made his momentary retreat to plot his next verbal tactic, Destroyer Dom sped after him, following the musha like a long cast shadow. “Does the gundam want to play cat and mouse?” The large robot questioned, letting out a low chuckle as he squeeze the trigger to the bazooka he had in his grip, releasing a missile that was trailed by smaller ones shot off from his Gallop.

Bakunetsumaru slid to a stop while slashing the missiles that homed in on him. “Your taunting and reckless remarks will not go unpunished no longer!” He shouted as he rushed towards the trigger-happy robot, destroying the remaining missiles coming at him. “Prepare for my burning blades of justice! Once you have tasted them maybe then you will talk!”

Suddenly, the yellow Gallop raced out in front of the gundam, blocking the line of attack. The action startled Bakunetsumaru, causing him to jump to the side to avoid collision with the strange vehicle, his focus momentarily torn away from his opponent. He glared as Dom took the opportunity to lumbered towards him. 

“Handle all my weapons first! Need fresh air!” The robot laughed as the Gallop’s doors were thrown open, revealing a stash of weapons that were surely the pride and joy of the weapon obsessive robot.

Bakunetsumaru prepared himself, going into a defensive stance with his blades still ready as his opponent reached for a weapon. It was no use trying to get answers from the large robot. He simply did not respond and continued his villainous ways; then again the musha never took Dom as the most talkative one out of the trio. Still his warrior's soul burned bright within him and his brown eyes gleamed, “I will obtain the answer for your treachery. One way or another!”

*~*~*

“Take that!”

Zako Soldiers let out screams as they flew up into the air, waving their arms in a frenzy as they flapped like a bird in vain to try to stop their inevitable decent. They only succeeded in looking more like mechanical birds than small robot soldiers. “Zako! Zako!” They all howled in unison as they tumbled in the sky as they fell.

“Is that all you’ve got, Zapper?” Captain asked, sliding to a stop as toasted looking Zako Soldiers fell around him, their eyes becoming Xs. “Only a small band of soldiers who you trash talk 24/7!? Or perhaps your relationship has gotten better over these past months since it seems you were able to make them loyal to you once more rather then to Genkimaru!”

“Ooo! Very good Captain! I’ve seen you’ve learned to get on my nerves even more!” Zapper yelled as he started to shoot of his guns in rapid fire, falling into the behavior that had given him his nickname. The Axian robot had been freed of the fallen beam only minutes ago and his fingers were itching to use his beloved guns. He began to charge at Captain, continuing his unrestrained firing, “Prepare to become scrap metal!”

“I think not,” Was the military gundam's reply, a plan already in place and the moves calculated out. His power had decreased in his downgraded version, resembling his original power; but it was not enough to let Zapper win. Despite the older model of his body, Captain was not at a disadvantage at not knowing what to do.  
Following an old plan, Captain’s shield suddenly shot out a peg at its base that instantly dug itself into the ground. Captain tightened his grip on his shield, momentarily bracing himself before he swung off of it, launching himself head on at Zapper, mimicking a makeshift self-slingshot.

“What!?” The burgundy robot yelped in surprise as he suddenly leaned back as if rearing up, causing him to stop in place; as he did so his guns followed his motion, causing them to aim into the air and sides-away from Captain. It allowed the gundam to slip out of their line of fire. Zapper took a step back, almost falling over due to the immense weight that he had now made off balance though he flailed his arms to correct his balance.

“Alright! Get him, Captain!!” Shute shouted from his hiding spot, pumping his fist into the air.

“I believe this is my win.” Captain stated as he shot straight at Zapper with his fist was ready for the impact, it glowing as his Soul Drive hummed and shone from the energy Shute awoke in it.

A giant explosion happened only a moment later and Zapper was seen sailing through the air just like Grappler had done not that long before. The impact of the blow sent all the Zako Soldiers flying in various directions as if they were mere seeds being thrown carelessly. 

“It’s not over yet!” The defeated and angry Zapper shrieked as his image began to disappear into the blue sky, eventually vanishing completely with a twinkle. 

“Alright, Captain! You blasted him sky high!” Shute congratulated, laughing as he came out of his safe spot to join Captain’s side once more. 

“It seems that I did.” Captain replied, turning to look at Shute before blinking once, as if smiling but then it faded a bit. “I’m sorry to state that I was unable to apprehend any explanation to what is going on. Zapper was unresponsive to events that have happened after Commander Sazabi’s destruction and General’s Zeong’s defeat. Even pinning him down for answers did not yield results though I could not bring myself to give him a final blow. I must admit I did hold back slightly with that punch.” 

The military gundam looked ashamed for not exercising his full power as an enforcer for peace as he was sworn to do but something still did not sit right with him. Against all logic programmed into him and from what he had learned, Captain knew that if he had hurt Zapper more, he would have regretted even if the robot had gone back to his evil ways.

Shute frowned as scratched his head, a perplexed look appearing on his face as his eyebrows bunched together, “Well, you did try to be fair Captain. But you're right, Zapper was acting strange, not to say that is unusual but I mean, even from him it seemed odd. Do you think that maybe they were just staging an attack?” 

He glanced around at the burn marks and the holes in crates from the bullets, “Uh, scratch that. I think they meant it but I don't see what they really could have accomplished here.” Shute turned to look at Captain his green eyes serious, “We should probably try and find Zapper before he does more damage since it looks like he only got sent flying and is still around here. Only maybe now he’ll have some sense knocked into him after your last attack.” 

The boy grinned, unable to not find some glee at the thought of Zapper's expression right as Captain's fists connected with him. Violence wasn't the answer to a problem but honestly: Zapper needed a good knock to his head.

“Captain!”

Shute and Captain turned to see Zero flying towards them, hovering at lower height. 

“Zero! Are you okay?” Shute asked, rapidly shifting his gaze upon the blue knight gundam, checking for any signs of injury. Still the Winged Knight for the most part looked unharmed, his red cape fluttering around him as he hovered as if some invisible wind moved over its surface. The human was relieved that he could not spot any signs of black on the ground, a obvious indication of injury as oil would ooze out through the gundamium. Besides, Zero was not one to take severe damage in a simple skirmish as was Captain and Bakunetsumaru.

“Yes, I am perfectly alright.” Zero replied before turning his teal eyes toward Captain. “I see that you have gotten rid of Zapper Zaku. Unfortunately I blew Grappler Gouf away not too long ago. I say unfortunate because I could not make him divulge any information and was forced to put an end to our battle as it seemed futile to continue it. I hope you faired better in your quest then I.” For a moment Zero appeared to wince but it was quick and the Winged Knight was speaking once more, looking surprised and curious, “Where’s Bakunetsumaru?”

Captain let out a thoughtful sound of “Hm.” As the data he just received from Zero was filed away within his databanks and memory, Captain scanned it over once more, comparing both gundam's reports. “It seems that we both could not acquire any useful information.” The military gundam blinked his blue eyes, the inner processing and filing now complete, allowing him to focus on Zero's question. “Isn’t he with you? I thought I saw him heading in your direction.”

The Winged knight shook his head. “Surely not. I haven’t seen him since we split up to deal with each of our opponents.”

“He must still be fighting! Come on! We have to see if we have to help him!” Shute exclaimed logically, his voice colored with concern, but knowing the musha, everything should be under control.

The reunited trio rushed toward where they had last seen the red gundam, Captain pointing the way his calculations and sound scans indicted where the Blazing Samurai should be. As it stood, all their hope rested on the musha's shoulders for their mission's form of recon and information extraction to succeed. Hopefully Bakunetsumaru would be able to get some answers as to why the reformed robot trio and Zako Soldiers were now returning to their evil ways. If he failed, the team would have to take more drastic measures to capture the Axian robots and put them through fiercer interrogation. Or rather, try to reeducate them and divulge information from them in a brainwash manner: Robo House.

First they would have to find Zapper and Grappler again as they were sure to still be in Neotopia, wandering around. Maybe blasting them away wasn't a good idea...

*~*~*

p>Bakunetsumaru leapt out of the way once more as yet again another missile shot past him only to have it head back towards him, homing in. “That's it! I’m tired of playing games with you!” He growled as he sliced the missile in half with one of his katana blades. “Now tell me what your business here is! Is it something to do about my homeland Ark!? What about Genkimaru? This is your last chance, Dom!”

“Dah, me not involved with Ark. My mission here to make big booms!” Came the reply, though it did not make the picture any clearer.

Bakunetsumaru could not help let the frustration and anger grow even more, his GunSoul pounding even harder at the cryptic words of Dom. To betray one's alliance was one thing especially after one had just reformed, but to deny any knowledge of it was something else. With circuits pulsing and him gritting his teeth behind his mouth plate, the Blazing Samurai decided it was time to end this futile conversation. 

“I warned you but now you will pay for your treachery, fiend. Playing dumb isn't going to win you any sympathy from me!” The musha firmly planted his feet, spreading them out slightly as he took on a difference stance. Focusing on his opponent and all his power and energy that was rising in his GunSoul, the Blazing Samurai began to make circles in the air with both of his swords, preparing to unleash his signature attack.

“Me wouldn’t do that if me was you!” Dom warned, some amazement in his voice as he watched Bakunetsumaru, obviously recognizing the musha's stance. “Make whole place go boom! And that my job!” 

Bakunetsumaru paused, halting the completion of the two circles. “What do you mean!?” He demanded, his temper already near its peak. He was a reasonable warrior but Dom's cryptic babble upset him even more. “Come out at say it!”  
Only before he could get a reply of any kind, renewed gunfire started to rain down.

“What!?” The musha yelped, as he jumped back, trying to avoid the bullets that suddenly showered him. He dodged around, slicing the bullets that came close to hitting him but was basically pinned to the spot.

“Hey! Hurry it up you moron!” A voice suddenly shouted and as Bakunetsumaru looked up he saw it was none other then Zapper yelling at Dom. The burgundy robot did not look in good shape as even from the ground one could see scorch marks on his armor. Even his usual squad of Zako Soldiers stood behind him, looking a tad roughed up too. 

“Get up here!” He commanded, stomping his foot as he waved at Dom. He meant for the weapons maniac to somehow get aboard a familiar looking yellow airship; familiar so much it disturbed and confused the Blazing Samurai as the musha defended against the airship's bullets, something he had done in the past.

“Where’d they retrieve another remake of that troublesome airship?” He pondered out loud as he battled the bullets. “We took down two models of it once already.”

“Lug nut! I’m in charge here!” Grappler suddenly appeared beside Zapper, whacking his companion upside of his head. The only evidence of his battle with Zero was a heap of flower petals clinging to various parts of his armor, making the blue robot looking like a tacky floral themed statue. “The Komusai II will take care of that flame idiot; Dom, get up here **now** so we can finish with the plan!”

“ **The** Komusai II!?” Bakunetsumaru could not help exclaim as he slashed at the bullets, jumping back in hopes to get under some cover. He could not believe his audio receivers. How could this be the actual Komusai II that had in fact been destroyed by the Force a few years ago? It had suck to the bottom of the ocean, only for the SDG to retrieve it and salvage parts for other projects. But no way could it be the same ship!

“Hehe!” Dom's laugher filled the air as he grabbed the rocket launcher from his mysterious Gallop and swung it over his shoulder to carry. “Going to make BIG boom! And me get to do it!” With a hardy leap onto a crate, the large robot showed surprising agility as he then jumped onto the supposed Komusai II, landing next to Zapper Zaku.

“Say nighty night, gundam!” Zapper laughed, grinning at Dom as the large robot seemed to glow with excitement. The burgundy robot then did a little dance as the airship kept the musha in one spot with its gunfire, “I’ve waited for this day for forever!” He pumped his arm, throwing it into the air before pointing at Bakunetsumaru, his lone pink eye gleaming. “Total destruction!”

“Zip it, Zapper!” Grappler snapped, the blue robot brushing off some petals he had just noticed off his shoulders. “Just move it already!”

“Dah!” Dom shouted happily and raised his rocket launcher, aiming at what Bakunetsumaru realized were tanks that lay directly behind him. Zapper had pointed not only at him but those fuel tanks as well! He was the sole defense of the tanks while against an airship and three armed robots.  
With brown eyes widening the Blazing Samurai attempted to draw of its gunfire by dodging to the side, but was quickly thwarted with more intense fire that kept him pinned. Dom let out a chortle as the musa tried to get out of the line of fire that positioned him with the tanks. “Bye bye, samurai!”

“I don’t think so!” 

Bakunetsumaru cast a glance over his shoulder as he continued his defense of merely hacking at the bullets, splitting them in half to make them useless. Relief washed over him as soon as he saw who it was that was coming to aid him, his GunSoul finding renewed strength and hope. “Zero! Captain! Shute!”

Captain and Zero immediately rushed to their fellow comrade’s side, the Winged Knight summoning a forcefield to protect the Blazing Samurai from the rain of bullets. As the gundams regrouped together beneath Zero's shield, Shute hurried to a safe spot where his friends could hear him but their opponents would not direct fire towards. With his hands curled into fists, he pumped them into the air, determination in his green eyes, “Go get them! You can beat them you guys!”

“This makes the mission easier! All three gundams at once!” Zapper laughed as he watched the gundams take their stand, only able to defend themselves against the bullets. “There will be no more city or obnoxious gundams after just one push of a button! Even that pathetic magic shield of yours won't protect you from this!”

“What are you talking about!?” Zero hollered over the deafening sound of the gunfire, straining as he pushed his magic to keep up the shield, praying silently to Mana to lead him more strength.

“Yeah, you’re miles away from the city!” Bakunetsumaru shouted, his temper flaring at his frustration at being unable to make sense of any of the Axian robots' words nor be able to fight back with his fire. If he unleashed a fire attack where he stood, it could cause an explosion itself; he was forced to use only his blades, which could not reach his opponents who were out of his reach. “Are you **that** stupid to not realize it!? Or have you gone mad and that is your reason for your betrayal to Genkimaru and Ark!?”

Before Zapper could yell back an insult or reply Grappler snapped at him, glaring, “Shut it! We don’t need you to go telling them the plan!”

Zero, along with Captain, looked up at the robot trio from their magic forcefield. “You fiends actually have a plan!?” After all that had happened, the knight had begun to think that this was just some form of recreating past lifestyle to reminisce; it was the only logical answer from the current insane actions of the robots. Only now something inside Zero told him this was more serious then he had thought before.

“Yeah! And we’re going to make you go Boom!” Dom informed once more, waving the rocket launcher around. “Whole place!” He added with a happy note.

“And us with it if you don’t watch where you swing that thing!” Zapper yelled, ducking as the launcher just narrowly missed his head. “You bucket head, do you have any brains!?”

“Dah…”

“How in all dimensions did I get stuck with you two idiots!?”

The Komusai II ceased its fire and merely idly floated with the Axian trio arguing on top of it. Once more the question came: Where in the world had they gotten a replacement?

“Hey! Are you going to shut your mouths and finish us or yack all day like old grannies!?” Bakunetsumaru taunted as Zero released the forcefield, the Lacroa gundam unable to kept it up any longer; thankfully was it needed anymore as it seemed the airship had finally run out of bullets. 

The Blazing Samurai immediately dashed to the other side of where he had been standing, trying to get them to direct their fire way from the targeted tanks. Zero and Captain remained in the middle, ready to defend against any attack while Bakunetsumaru bravely tried to be the target, allowing his allies time to attack while their enemies were preoccupied. 

“Grr, alright! We might as well as tell them since they’re doomed!” Grappler broke out of the argument. “They’re driving me nuts!”

“Now me make them go boom!?” Dom asked, starting to click the rocket launcher’s trigger back.

“Not yet!” Grappler growled, whacking Dom. “I told you we need to get higher!”

“Ahaha! Now let’s blow up the gundams!” Zapper shouted as the Komusai II engaged its flight system more, causing it to rise higher. “So, the little gundams want to know how they lose this battle!? Well, you see those tanks behind you!?” Each gundam cast a quick side glace to the indicated tanks, each beginning to put the pieces of the puzzle together. By now Captain had analyzed the tanks with his green eye scanner that slid over his right eye and the military gundam was not liking the results.

Still, Zapper continued without any prompting, “Well, it seems that we’re on top of an old oil refinery! Those tanks are full of oil and various fuel sources that were abandoned not to mention there’s tons of gas and oil pipes lining this place! I just give the word and Dom will blow this place sky high! Oh, and the best part is that these pipes run all the way to the city so that means when this place goes… the city will go too! Ahaha! And you will all be helpless to do anything about it.” Zapper laughed pointing at Captain as his airship ride went even higher. 

Obvious hatred reflected in the burgundy robot's lone pink eye as he glared at the gundams, no sign of regret or friendly familiarity despite previous adventures. “I guess I won’t see you around anymore! Good riddance.” He mockingly saluted the military gundam whom he considered a nemesis. “So long, Captain! And goodbye gundams!”

“It was nice knowing you while you were still in one piece.” Grappler sneered, flexing his clawed fingers with anticipation. “Though no, actually not.”

“No!” Bakunetsumaru shouted, clutching his twin katana blades tighter. “I have to stop them!” 

“You can’t.” Captain called out to his comrade, his scanner still over his eye. “The slightest spark of flame may cause this whole place to go up. My calculations say the probability is 98.9%. Besides, your blade attacks alone can't reach the airship.”

“What about your bullets?” Bakunetsumaru hurriedly inquired.

“Sorry, I depleted my resources during my battle with Zapper and his Zako Soldiers. I attempted to stall them to gain answers but failed. Now I'm out of ammo.”

“Curses! We’ve got our backs to the wall with no way out! That's never a good strategy in battle.”

“We should have brought in GunEagle for back up. Even if he was sent right now he would never make it in time.” Captain solemnly replied, disappointed in himself for the error in judgment for not thinking earlier to ask for assistance. “This was supposed to be a recon.”

“Heh, say good night, kiddies!” Grappler smiled as he gave Dom the signal.

“Dah hah hah! They go boom now!” Dom once more pointed the rocket launcher at the tanks and squeezed the trigger, releasing the rocket from its position. Instantly it was flying through the air towards the tanks and gundams.

“Captain! Zero! Bakunetsumaru! Noooo!” Shute yelled, too far away to do anything that would aid his friends. His green eyes were wide with horror, not believing that his friends were in so much trouble and that the Dark Axis trio was really trying to destroy them like old times. Only this time they seemed far more sinister. Why had they suddenly gone bad again!? 

“Some times a cat fights the best when it is cornered.” Zero spoke, replying to Bakunetsumaru. He closed his eyes, sucking in his breath, trying to draw his hidden pain away. It would take up too much Mana to put up a forcefield and even if he managed to summon one over the tanks, the rocket could easily explode against it, its fiery remains then sparking the oil lines that lay nearby. Presently he had summoned all the Mana he could muster for this move alone; it was his only chance.  


“Let’s see if this can put a dent in their plan.” The Winged Knight suddenly launched himself forward, straight towards the rocket and into its path.

“Zero!” Shute screamed, horrified at what he realized to be the knight’s self sacrifice, the Lacroa gundam giving everything to save the city and his comrades.

“Lacroa Crescent! Zero shouted, pointing his sword at the rocket, his teal eyes hardened with concentration. Within moments a large blue ring appeared above him, spinning as magic coursed through it. “Magical Violet Tornado!” Instantly the magic ring shot out a blue star-like shape, followed by a large gust of wind with familiar blue-purple flower petals. Together the Winged Knight and his wind attack hit the rocket head on. 

Unable to produce enough speed and power to surge through the strong gust, the rocket was knocked back towards the Komusai II. As it flipped back the way it had come, the rocket seemingly lead the return attack on the trio. 

“Whoa! Whoa!” Zapper yelled, putting his hands up to shield himself. “Pull up! Pull up!”

“Aw geez! Does this **always** have to happen!?” Grappler spat, obviously annoyed at the outcome as he braced himself for the unavoidable attack.

“Dah, yep!” Dom chirped absentmindedly, his lone pink eye growing large in fascination as the rocket he had released moments before returned to him.

Unfortunately for the trio and their mini band of Zako Soldiers, the Komusai II did not dodge out of the rocket's path fast enough, Zero's wind attack propelling it greatly. First the rocket slammed into the airship only to have the Zero quickly follow after, still directing his tornado which enveloped the enemy's aircraft. A large explosion erupted and the Komusai II was sent flying backwards, spiraling uncontrollably as it twirled through the air. The villainous trio tried to keep a grip onto the ship but slipped, causing them and the Zako Soldiers to be flung off due to the airship's wild uncontrolled flight. 

Fortunately, due to the magical tornado, the wind's direction from the powerful gust guided the explosion away from the tanks, saving Captain, Bakunetsumaru, and Shute as well. With the airship knocked away and the heated air and explosive components away from the flammable substance the site and city was now safe.

“This is not over gundams!” Zapper declared as he, his companions and Zako Soldiers spun, flailing in the air. However despite his vow for a revenge, a large dark hole suddenly appeared in the sky, as if ripping the curtain of blue open. Instantly the whole Axian group disappeared through it as if it had opened its mouth to swallow them up. All their cries and angry squabbles faded away as the hole shrunk as if someone were quickly sewing up the torn sky, eventually leaving the sky back in one whole piece. 

A dimensional portal no doubt, just like the Zakorello Gate. 

“Alright! You did it!” Shute shouted in celebration, the human boy rushing over to where Captain and Bakunetsumaru stood. “I was really scared there for a moment. But I still don’t understand why they—Zero?” Shute and the remaining two gundams looked around, the human's green eyes wide with fear and uncertainty. “Zero? Zero!?”

Bakunetsumaru turned his own gaze toward the sky. “Where did he go?”

“The force from the explosion must have caused him to be propelled into another area. Like when I first met you, Shute, back in your workshop when I fell through the roof after my first battle with Zapper.” Captain used his scanners to search the area.

“Yeah, but the only problem is, my house isn’t anywhere near here! There's no way Zero could have ended up in the same place as you did back then! That means he could end up anywhere!” Shute bit his lip as he looked around, desperate to catch sight of the indigo gundam, praying that Zero would suddenly appear and that their worries would have been in vain. What made the boy even more upset was that the Lacroa knight had basically sacrificed himself to do that solo attack. 

“Weird things are happening and we still have no answers about those guys’ actions! Now Zero is missing!” Shute hoped Zero was alright but the pit in his stomach seemed to grow even larger every time he tried to convince himself that the knight was alright.

“He’ll return soon… I hope.” Bakunetsumaru replied as he sheathed his twin swords. “No, in fact I’m sure if it; as his honor as a knight and mine as a samurai.” He stepped closer to Shute and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, knowing that human emotions could at times stronger than a gundams; plus Shute was a sensitive kid who truly cared about all this allies. 

Bakunetsumaru returned his gaze to the sky once more, searching for a sign that would put Shute as well as himself at ease. “I bet he’s on his way right now. You know he wouldn’t leave us, especially with this strange event and treachery at hand. Perhaps he ran into some fair lady when he got knocked way and that's what is delaying him.”

“In the meantime, I should file a report. Zapper and the other's behaviors do not seem to fit any logic of my comprehension nor did I like the look of that dimensional portal. Something is going on and I think we need to find out soon.” Captain turned toward his human friend. “Don't worry, Shute. Zero knows where we are located and I'm sure he'll return in no time. Whether it be your house, or the base, my estimates indicate those are the two most likely places he will appear to regroup with us.” 

“I hope he does... soon.” Shute murmured to himself as he kept his gaze toward the ground, scuffing the toe of his shoe into the ground. He looked back up towards where the Dark Axis had disappeared into the strange portal, an ominous feeling coming over the human. “Where are you!? Zero!”

*~*~*

_“Zero…”_

Zero’s optical screens flickered on, having been dim only moments ago and his eyes appeared, his teal gaze looking unfocused and flickering. After a few moments, his vision cleared, his optical screens no longer malfunctioning, allowing him to see unhindered. The knight then blinked, his head fuzzy as his circuits buzzed faintly with little information passing through them. “Wh-where am I?” He asked as he tried to sit up from laying flat on his back as if he had fallen.

“Ouch!” Zero exclaimed in pain, quickly dropping back onto his sprawled position as pain buzzed through him, that being the only thing his circuits could transmit. His head ached and seemed to be pounding, his vision blurring a little once more. All his information seemed jumbled as he was unable to recall anything save bits and pieces of who he was and his ventures, but the rest was a blur such as what had happened before waking up. 

“What happened to me?” The confused and pained Winged Knight asked no one in particular as his teal eyes stared up into the pale blue sky that seemed to be darkening now, though ominous colors seemed to swirl around. It certainly was a sky that he was unfamiliar with, not Lacroa, Neotopia nor Ark.

_“You fell. Well, more like crash landed that is.”_

Zero’s head abruptly snapped upward, trying to see past his feet as he remained flat on his back. The sudden movement made his vision blur even more as his circuits buzzed with confusion. “Who said that!?” He demanded as he struggled to quickly sit up, trying to block out the pain. “Show yourself!”

_“I did. Not that it matters-”_ A shadowy figure appeared between the scrawny trees that were not too far way from Zero, _“since you can’t see me anyways. Not that I would want you to even if you could.”_ The figure fell silent, appearing to be thinking. _“Or maybe I would... I’m not sure. Oh well, can’t cry over split milk. You can’t see me well that is.”_

The figure was right, as strange as it was with its half talk to itself and him. All Zero could make out was some of the outline of the figure as if it was poorly backlit. The rest of the figure's body looked as if it were made out of static and streaked with black, like a bad TV station signal; or rather the outline of a figure whose details had been forgotten and only static remained, like a flat 2D picture. No definite features could be made out no matter how hard the Winged Knight squinted, hoping the distortion of his eyes would some how bend the strange being into something recognizable.

Only something else caught his attention once he wasn't distracted by the figure's appearance. Zero’s eyes narrowed as something within him buzzed, the strange feeling in his chest that had formed there as of late growing. That voice…

“Who are you!? What are you!? What am I doing here!? Where am I?” Zero almost yelled, not trusting this strange being nor liking his surroundings or currently unexplained state. He would have been more courteous, but he was not feeling himself so did not try to put on his best manners. Who would when your memory is fuzzy and person's allegiance is unknown?

_“My, my, you knight gundams are so demanding. Are you all like this?”_ The figure’s shaped seemed to jump different ways, as if staring to break up. Even its voice seemed distorted and warped yet it wasn't entirely menacing. Instantly the figure's tone changed from light and playful to something more serious, yet still logical and to the point. _“I don’t have a lot of time… What is important is that you’re hurt.”_ The figure extended a static ridden arm, pointing. _“I was able to take care of most of your arm-”_

Zero’s eyes widened at words. His arm? The gundam glanced at his right arm that the figure was gesturing at. From what he could tell it only had a few scratches on it, as well as a couple of burns and even a few traces of oil splatters. Some other markings seemed to be more burns and scratches, only mostly healed as they were faint. His eyes scanned his whole arm once more in disbelief and caution, not sure what to do or if he should trust the stranger's words.

Still the figure continued, _“I took care of some of your other wounds as well. I tried my best since in my current state, I can’t really do anything spectacular…”_

Just then, the Lacroa gundam’s missing parts of his memory started to come back, the fuzz in those parts of his memory circuits dissipating. The pain in his sides and head: they were gone! He glanced down to see the various marring on his armored body from last attack on the mysterious Komusai II were gone! Mere thin line scratches remained but that was the only remnant.

_“As I said, I tried my best. Sorry that they’re not fully healed.”_ The figure seemed to shake its head, _“Not that I could do much in this state…”_ It repeated once more, muttering it, as if trying to get the fact down. Whether to itself or Zero, the Lacroan gundam was not sure.

The Winged Knight looked back over at the figure who now seemed to be fuming at itself. “I... uh... thank you. I am sorry for my rude behavior despite your kind actions to assist me. It’s just my head… no, that doesn’t excuse myself.” He closed his eyes, trying to focus, willing for the rest of his memory to snap into place quicker. “That fight...” 

_“As for where you are,”_ The shadowy, transparent figure quickly continued, seeming alert and focused on the topic once more, _“it appears you are caught between dimensions; a No-Man’s-Zone. In other words, no real place in existence yet it is still a place where not many go. Most likely you are caught between the world you just came from and whatever one your portal led to. For some reason, the portal did not let you through and so you bounced back to here.”_ The stranger seemed a bit puzzled by this, _“Though I do not know why you would even come here…”_

“Did you say No-Man's-Zone? Is that between the Minov Boundary Sea and a dimension? I didn't think there was such a place after the Minov Boundary Sea except for other spaces between dimensions... yet, how did I even end up here instead of the Sea?” Finally the remainder of his memory banks became clear as the buzzing completely dissipated from Zero's circuits and he was free to think and recall without hindrance. 

“The Dark Axis!” He cried, teal eyes flashing as his pupils grew larger. “What in Mana were they up to!? Where they are now!?” The knight attempted to jump to his feet but quickly decided against it when a new wave of dizziness and pain came over him.

Sitting back down reluctantly Zero spoke to himself, “I guess I can only hope that they were also kicked out of Neotopia and didn't end up here with me… No sense in dwelling on it too much until I get back to the others and see what they've found out as Captain has surely found an answer. Still, I wonder why they were acting that way...” 

Where the figure’s eyes would be, two flashes appeared. _“Dark Axis? Did I hear you say Dark Axis?”_ The mysterious figure’s voice seemed to drop to a low whisper, familiarity and fear coloring its tone. Its outline started to break up even more, making it near impossible to see as it appeared to be coming apart by its invisible seams.

_“I’m sorry, I can’t stay much longer. It’s hard to maintain a focus… My energy is being drained…”_ The figure then seemed to let out a low, short gasp of pain before growing dimmer, starting fade away like a ghost as it clutched its head. _“Go before-”_

“Wait! Who are you!? Why did you help me!?” Zero cried out, sitting up all the way, not caring about his current pain. “I don’t even know you!”

The figure seemed to come a little more into focus momentarily as it manage to give a broken reply, _"es... yo... dre...ms.”_ Its appearance began to dim once more and at a rapid pace, _“Look to... stars! I can’t do much ...ore except... this-”_ The figure thrust out what remained of its hand and there was a giant, bright flash. The blinding light engulfed Zero and made everything else disappear as, including the figure that seemed to have vanished completely with that final action.

When the flash faded, Zero found himself standing in a grassy field with flowers springing up all over the place in abundance. He glanced around, only to realize it was in fact a familiar scene. The knight also noticed that his throbbing headache was gone and the light pain in his chest was duller but now pulsing. Only as just as Zero began to ponder about it, something else caught his attention as he recognized something else.

It was Shute’s house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credits:
> 
> Kaon and GunCanine (c) PumpkinaChai


	2. Memories and Regrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zero reunites with the others after his mysterious absence following their fight with the strange acting Axians. However, his welcome back is not what he expected and tensions rise to a boiling point. Fueled by confusion and frustration Zero goes off alone to face haunting memories and a secret he's kept from everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can read the PDF novel format of this chapter on my [deviantart](http://fav.me/dccigya)

  
[](http://fav.me/dccigya)  


There was a buzz of commotion in response to Zero's sudden return. Shute was excited about Zero’s reappearance, hopping up and down saying how worried he was, thankful that Zero was okay. Captain did a protocol welcome, stating that it was good to have him back from his disappearance after their previous battle with the Dark Axis trio and their band of soldiers. Bakunetsumaru remained silent however, appearing to be in deep thought.

“Hey! Bakunetsumaru! Zero’s back!”

The musha gundam glanced up with his brown eyes at sound of Shute’s statement. “Back from where?” He replied in a curious but stern tone. Suddenly he was beside Zero in swift movement fitting a warrior. “What took you so long?” The samurai poked the knight, his eyes becoming side slits with skepticism. “It’s been almost a day!”

Zero’s teal eyes went wide. “A d-day?” His vocal processor emitted a shocked tone. The Winged Knight looked at Captain and Shute in hope of getting some form of answer. The military gundam stood there, looking at the knight. However before Captain could answer, Shute spoke.

“Um, yeah.” The brown haired boy nodded, looking down. “We were getting kinda worried. Captain couldn’t pick you up on his scanners; even GunEagle couldn’t spot you from the sky-”

“You had GunEagle look for me!?” The Lacroa gundam’s voice was that of disbelief. Sure the rookie was part of the team but he and Zero were not exactly on familiar terms. They got along sometimes but the aerial gundam got on the knight’s nerves, especially when he was flirting with or showing off to Princess Rele.

“Well, yeah Zero. I mean you’ve disappeared before but never that way before. I mean, after a battle. You’ve wondered off, we understand why but… We wanted to make sure you were okay. I mean, you’re part of the team… and with what happened with the Axian robots yesterday was… well…” Shute shuffled his feet, digging his shoe’s toe into the ground, a habit he tended to do when nervous or uncertain. The young Neotopian seemed to be struggling with what to say.

It was obvious the others had not figured out why the Axians had suddenly attacked Neotopia after months of peace and residing in Ark. Only five months ago they had worked together to defeat an evil tyrant that threatened both Ark and Neotopia on the world of Kaon. Zero got lost in thought as he watched the human boy struggle with spitting out what he was trying to saying. 

Bakunetsumaru took the hesitation as an opportunity to step back in. He locked eyes with Zero, serious. “How come we couldn’t find you?”

“I don’t know.” Zero replied which was part of the truth. He had no idea how he had ended up in a supposed none existent part of space between dimensions that was not the Minov Boundary Sea. “Maybe your scanners are broken. Either way, some things cannot be explained. I’m not even sure what happened, if felt like a dream.” 

Despite his causal answer the knight gundam was starting to get angry, his tone rigid. He was equally confused, trying to figure out who the mysterious figure that had helped him was. Zero understood that his friends were concerned about him but he felt they were being hasty for answers. He had no real idea what had happened and his thoughts kept getting interrupted, not allowing his processors to complete and it only frustrated him more. 

It certainly was not a warm welcome back.

The Ark gundam watched Zero’s reaction. “Well, if you can’t explain that, then what about your injuries?” He pointed to the scratches. “Why don’t you have more serious injuries? No gundam could take an attack like that and come out with only a few scratches—certainly not a gundam at our current power. And no disrespect but I don't think you have the magic ability to heal to such a degree. Princess Rele, yes.”

Captain’s scanner flicked down over his eye. “Yes, I am curious as well. My scanners indict almost no damage. Approximately 96.8% recovery of health.” He proceeded to look the knight up and down, scanning for injury. “There is almost no indication of damage.” The scanner flicked back up as he concluded.

Before Zero could reply, Bakunetsumaru poked at him once more, this time all over. “What is it? Do you have some sort of secret nano skin system that you’re not telling us about? Or perhaps-” The musha gundam seemed to grin, his eyes becoming side slits again. “Is there a secret medical gundamess that you’re not telling us about? I do believe once you told us about Lacroa having some medical gundams. Does that mean one is a lady friend of yours?”

Zero felt a ping of sadness that was instantly run over with rage. That was the last bit of the usually patient knight’s nerves. “What? What are you suggesting Bakunetsumaru!?” The knight shouted, veins popping out all over his head. “Are you suggesting that I, a Lacroa Royal Knight, protector of the Princess, am nothing but a lowlife sneak snake!? That I managed to disappear for the sake of some secret love and to have her fawn over me while tending to my wounds!?” 

The gundam’s fists were balled up as he glared at his teammate and friend. “Are you suggesting that I'm the same level as GunEagle!? That rookie who is nothing more than a show off who flexes his gundamium muscles for girls!?”

“Well, you do show off in front of girls!” Bakunetsumaru shot back now getting angry too. “All you do is dance around with your little petals and as soon as a girl appears, you’re right there next to her, acting all princely!”

“What did you say!?” Zero cried out, glaring at the musha gundam, the knight gundam defensive. All thoughts toward what had happened to him turned off his attention now solely on the insults he was receiving.

“You heard me, Twinkle Toes!” Bakunetsumaru yelled back bitterly, waving his hand. “Admit it! When it comes to your homeland, you'd choose girls over it!”

“How dare you suggest such a thing!” Zero snapped, his teal eyes wild with rage and disbelief. “I will do everything in my power to protect both!”

“Uh, guys?” Shute tried to intervene before things got worse. 

Bakunetsumaru’s eyes burned with anger. “At least I can remain focused at all times and don’t get distracted by women! I know my priorities when it comes to duty and pleasure!”

“Oh yeah? At least I know when to keep my mouth shut on such matters! You just run your mouth off! You, Bakunetsumaru, are the expert when it comes to lacking tact!”

“At least I still think of my homeland! I have not betrayed it with other thoughts before it! Shrinking duty for pleasure!”

“How dare you say such things! As a knight, I have sworn to protect all things from evil! Not just honor and my homeland! Unlike **you**!” Zero glared at the samurai, his teal eyes burning with anger. The musha was going too far with his judgmental remarks. Bakunetsumaru was prone to say things due to his hotheadedness, but this was uncharacteristic aggression and genuine rage behind his words. Did he really believe Zero would throw away his honor and integrity like that?

“Honor comes along with those things, villain!” Bakunetsumaru yelled, glaring back. He and Zero were in each other’s faces now, literally butting heads. “You have to know which is most important as a warrior and not blend duties together!”

Shute stared with complete helplessness as he watched the knight and the samurai go at it while Captain stood beside him with an unreadable expression. Normally he would step in and yell at them to stop, but the menacing looks on their faces made him not want to take one step. The boy had no clue how to stop this one. He hoped that they would not go too far. This was one of the most heated fights he'd ever seen. Zero had saved them but was currently acting rather touchy while Bakunetsumaru was clearly concerned, the result being the two blowing up in frustration.

“How come in every situation, your temper is the first part of you to butt in!?” Zero snapped, pushing Bakunetsumaru back as he pressed forward, his head knocking against the musha's.

“Do you want to settle this with swords, coward!?” Bakunetsumaru pushed against Zero. The musha then leapt back, starting to draw his katana swords. “Maybe this way I can drill some honor into your system you-”

Snap!

Clang!

Bakunetsumaru yelped in surprise when a large bucket fell right onto his head, only for him to be stuck inside it. The musha flapped his arms about as he yelled and tried to remove the cleaning tool off of his head. Zero, however, began to hover towards the trees nearby, his expression unreadable.

“Zero, wait!” Shute cried after the Winged Knight. But the fellow member of the Gundam Force did not hear him, or simply did not show that he did. Shute could not help but stare in defeat as the form of his Lacroan friend disappeared into the green beyond.

The boy sighed as Zero’s form completely disappeared, “Zero is really troubled about something. I think you went too far, Baku--” Shute started, turning to look at the samurai. “Wah!” He abruptly shouted as Bakunetsumaru almost crashed into him. Shute jumped out of the way as the red gundam teetered around, trying to pull the bucket off.

“Mheoph mhnm!” Came a muffled voice from inside the bucket. Shute watched the musha dance around in desperation. Captain, seeming to snap out of his watchful state, stepped over, holding out a hand. 

“Perhaps I can be of assistance.”

Shute watched as Captain tugged at the cleaning tool on Bakunetsumaru’s head. The samurai’s horns seemed to prevent it from budging however. The boy sighed as Baku tried to pull it off once more as Captain held on. “Hm… perhaps we should get some oil or butter to help it slip off easier. Our chances should increase approximately 88.9%.” Captain calculated, pausing as he loosened his grip on the bucket. 

Bakunetsumaru pulled again, not knowing that Captain had eased his grip. Shute was about to shout a warning but the samurai was already falling backward as he jerked out of Captain's relaxed grip. He tumbled head over heels as Captain and Shute watched, fixated, rolling over twice. Neither of them said anything as they stared at the musha’s feet, silenced by amazement. Eventually Bakunetsumaru stumbled to get up, obviously disoriented.

Shute could not help but laugh at the sight. The bucket was now stuck on half of the musha’s head, covering his left side. “At least you got it off halfway!”  
The samurai did not seem humored however. He tried tugging the bucket once more. “That no good fiend! Why that Zero! When I catch him I’ll-” 

“Um, Baku, I think you really upset him. Zero looked troubled. I think you over did it it.” Shute’s face was grave now, concern replacing the humor.

“ **Me**!? Over do it!? Maybe if he was a true warrior, he would learn to suck it up like a gundam and-”

“I think he’s right, Bakunetsumaru. Zero’s attention seemed elsewhere. Perhaps you went beyond what he could comprehend at the time and he was not in the mood for a jest. For the moment it was ill-fitting for what you said.” 

“I was just joking around! I swear on the honor as samurai! He started it.” Bakunetsumaru frowned behind his mouthplate, not enjoying being reprimanded. Zero usually just argued back and they sometimes got into brawls but the knight had never lost his temper like that. The samurai paused, putting his anger on hold. “But I have to admit, both of you are right. Something is up; he is not telling us everything.”

“He might not want to tell us everything, but that’s up to him. We can’t force him to talk.” Shute scratched his head before shrugging. “Zero hasn’t really been the same since we came back from Kaon. I’ve noticed he’s been spacing out more.” The human looked at the military gundam and the samurai gundam. “We all know he is a bit of a loner, but he hasn’t been like this before. I thought that after we rescued Princess Rele everything would be okay, but it seems that he's still sore about mentioning Lacroa.”

“Yes, I admit I have also noticed this.” Captain added in a lower tone, “Even Bakunetsumaru did not act this strangely; after all that happened on Kaon, his behavioral patterns were not significantly effected. And I agree, my data comparisons support Zero's sensitivity about his homeland, given the history that happened there not long ago.”

Bakunetsumaru caught what Captain had said and immediately felt a pang of guilt and pain. His GunSoul felt like it was sinking deeper into his chest. The samurai shifted his gaze away from the others. 

Just five months ago he and the Force had fought against invading forces of cloned ryuu gundams, gundams that resembled dragons from the island of Kaon. Their leader was Kakeru, a corrupt gundam who’d orchestrated the genocide of entire clans to create superior cloned versions as he usurped power. The lone survivor of one clan was Rin, whom the Blazing Samurai had slowly bonded with and became warriors-in-arms. Another survivor was Kesshō, a failed clone, who proved herself loyal to her world rather than her creators. Both had helped with the resistance and prevented the invasion that scaled across dimensions. Even so, the final battle left both sides with injuries and losses. 

“Rin… Kesshō…” The Ark gundam's thoughts drifted toward the two gundamesses the group had befriended. Rin decided to help rebuild her homeland while Kesshō assisted with cleaning up the mess her creators had made. The farewell had been bittersweet but in turn the SDG had gained more allies and grown closer to one another as comrades. Still, the emptiness that had been left after the parting from his kind’s distant kin ached ever so slightly inside Bakunetsumaru. Even with so many friends he felt sad.

Just then the Blazing Samurai remembered Zero was the last of his kind, the last of the Royal Knights after all Lacoran gundams had perished. Bakunetsumaru in his moment of teasing had not thought of how Zero could not possibly have a gundam lover in Lacroa due to all the gundams being destroyed and new ones still being born from the Spirit Fountain. He had failed to think Zero would take the remark so personally yet it made sense now if the Winged Knight was getting angry due to a memory of loss.

“I’ll apologize when he comes back.” Bakunetsumaru suddenly stated to Captain and Shute. Both looked up in surprise, having sunken into their own conversation and thoughts. “Perhaps I was too hasty with my temper. I’m sure Zero has his reasons for his actions and lack of an explanation.” 

Bakunetsumaru’s gaze met his two companion’s who seemed to be watching him expectantly. “Now, can you guys **please** help me get this off?” The musha asked, trying to divert all thought from Zero now that his anger had subsided. However, he still could not help but wonder what the Lacroa gundam was hiding.

*~*~*

“That hothead, how dare he insult me like that!?” Zero fumed, his fists clenched as he hovered. The Knight gundam had moved himself to the outskirts of the city into a carpet of green filled with a field of flowers. It was a place where the Dark Axis had first made their attack on Neotopia but that was a long time ago. The Lacroa gundam’s gaze was at the ground rather then the flowers as he raged. “That idiot…”

Inside, Zero knew that Bakunetsumaru was only trying to joke around but it had stung Zero in his core like a BaguBagu’s bite. The knight gundam’s anger soon reverted back to the sadness that had been the source. Slowly he uncurled his fingers as sorrow overtook him once more and his teal eyes softened. 

“No… it’s my fault. I’ve kept things from them. They are not to blame as they do not know the cause of my anguish nor what it is that troubles me now. Ever since Kaon I’ve been at unease, the clan genocide reminding me of my own Lacroa… but even so something else is wrong. I’ve not felt entirely one with Mana for some time...”

Zero brought his hand up to look at it closely. It was no dream, he was in his own body and was solid and yet he felt like he was lost within a dream. Everything was so unclear and confusing half of the Winged Knight hoped he was within a dream. 

“I am not sure what is going on presently; I am as confused as they are. I cannot possibly give them answers I do not know. But I will tell them once I find out, that I promise.” 

Bakunetsumaru’s comment echoed in his head: A medical gundamess… Zero flexed his hand, curling it back into a fist as he mulled the words over. That phrase alone stirred mixed emotions within the Winged Knight once more. Even more so the words triggered his database, accessing a memory that Zero wished he could simply erase but declared it a coward’s act. 

Reluctant but lacking the will to make it stop, Zero allowed the memory to begin playing, bringing the Winged Knight back when he was still in Lacroa, before the Dark Axis took over three years ago. 

Back before everything changed.

*~*~*

_“Sir? What ill thoughts plague you?” Zero asked the dark yellow and grey knight gundam before him as the two stood in one of the great halls of Lacroa Castle. He had been summoned to speak with the other knight gundam but Zero sensed something amiss. His comrade looked pensive and hesitant, trouble obviously lurking in his blue eyes while his body language seemed foreign._

_The other knight gundam studied Zero for a few moments, his eyes never leaving Zero. Finally he spoke, “I am not quite sure, Zero. Everything feels peaceful and blissfully blessed by the bounty of Mana but...”_

_“But?” No reply came so Zero pressed harder, “Rock?”_

_Rock, the leader of the Royal Knights and Knight of the Hot Sands, looked solemn but composed, hardly betraying whatever worries flowed through his processors. Armed with his shotel he would strike fear into any man or gundam's soul but now Rock appeared somewhat casual, not brimming with a fierce and loyal warrior's spirit._

_“Zero, I am at unease. I hate to utter it but something does not feel right. I believe this is a foreboding feeling but as to what, I am not certain. I speak to you about this not as your superior as leader but as a fellow Royal Knight and gundam.”_

_“Have you, er that is, sir, have you yet spoken to the others about this? Battle, Nataku or Deed? After all, they are my seniors as Royal Knights and have been in your company for far longer than I.”_

_Rock's reply came as a surprise._

_“No. I have not yet spoken to them about my ill at ease feelings. And believe me Zero, as a Royal Knight I know when to pay heed to gut feelings and when to ignore a simple case of unfounded cowardice. And yes, I feel that way too at times, I am only gundam after all. Just because you're the leader doesn't mean you are certain and fearless all the time. Rather you have to be strong and act confident or else who would lead the others who are just as scared if not more so?”_

_“But you're one of the most courageous knights I know, Rock. I mean, sir.”_

_“No need for formal talk, Zero. You know that, we're all equals in the Royal Knights. Besides,” Rock seemed to smile, causing some of the unease in his eyes to disappear, “Courage is the act of being scared but finding strength within to overcome it. Where else would we get courage if we did not have some fear within us?”_

_“So you're telling me because-”_

_“I am telling you because I am trusting you Zero with a task. Should this feeling prove to be naught but my own mind playing tricks on me, there will be no harm done. However if it proves true this very well could save us some trouble and give us an advantage.”_

_“Tell me and I will carry out the order.” Zero instantly replied, his teal eyes serious. “As a Royal Knight I have a duty to protect my kingdom and the Royal Family from any possible harm that may befall it. No matter the task, I will act as a loyal knight.”_

_Rock's response was immediate. “Take sentry duty.”_

_“Sent-? Zero began to question but instantly halted his vocal processors, letting the word die. However Rock was not a fool to miss the Winged Knight's astonishment._

_“Zero, I trust your eyes the most to spot any possible threat that comes within the area of the castle. I would rather one of my Royal Knight comrades joined the guards in their ranks for this duty. I know you and trust you Zero; your sworn duty to the protection of the Royal Family is not to be questioned.”_

_Zero restrained himself from vocalizing any more protests. However he could not stop himself from thinking of protests. He was a Royal Knight who was chosen to protect Princess Rele; should he not be with her at all times? The other knights and guards had their own duty to survey the land for any threat, could they not handle this task themselves? Or was Rock saying a knight of a higher class and noted dedication was best fitting for this job then those others?_

_I know it is my duty as a Royal knight to carry out all charges placed upon me but to leave the Princess’ side for castle surveillance… why couldn't a soldier or guard do it? Zero thought grimly. More questions buzzed through the Winged Knight's processors but he simply nodded to Rock and said, “I understand.”_

_A smile formed in Rock's blue eyes as he reached out and placed a hand on Zero's shoulder. The yellow knight gundam spoke, “You do our kingdom a great honor and good, Zero. It is an honor to have someone like you to call my ally... and my friend.”_

_Zero was startled for a moment, his teal eyes widening. However he gave a nod with his eyes shining with emotion as the yellow knight gundam's words were etched in his memory banks. Still, his questions did not subside though the Winged Knight knew it was wrong to question the leader's orders let alone his motive. Rock was a wise leader and would do not put others at risk with careless orders. Zero would just have to dowse his doubt and put his faith in Rock's intuition just as Rock was placing his own in him._

_“Ah, there you are Rock! Zero! We were wondering to where you two had disappeared.” A new voice called out, drawing the Knight of the Hot Sands and the Winged Knight's attention. Walking toward them were two fellow knight gundams, being none other than Battle, the Crimson Knight and Nataku the Bronze Knight. It was Battle who had called out while Nataku remained reserved, his companion having spoken for them both._

_“Where is Deed?” Zero asked, noticing that his friend was not with the others. With Deed, the Knight of the Shining Blade, the group formed the five membered Royal Knights and to see his presence missing from the side of the original members momentarily surprised Zero._

_“Oh, we left him in charge of guarding Princess Rele. He is more than worthy and capable of caring for the Princess alone for a few minutes.” Battle shrugged, the red armored knight gundam appearing well at ease and trusting. “If not, I am sure Rock can think of a way to prevent Deed from repeating a mistake.”_

_“Since when has Deed ever let us down?” Nataku countered, the light blue armored knight gundam appeared to frown as his crimson eyes slightly narrowed. “He is a worthy gundam to be a Royal knight. Or do you doubt his character?”_

_“Hah, to doubt Deed's loyalty to protect the Princess would be to doubt the very existence of Mana itself and call the sky green.” Battle immediately replied, seeming to contradict his previous statement. “I only meant it as a jest, Nataku. Surely you still know how to do that even when on duty.”_

_“I think you know the answer to that, we've been comrades long enough. Though I do believe you also know when the moment is appropriate to jest and when it is not. It can get in the way of duty at times. Lightheartedness can make room for error which we cannot afford.”_

_“Zero, my friend, please remind me again just who is the leader of our ranks? With Nataku's constant rebukes I am starting to become hazy with that fact.” Battle turned toward the Winged Knight with a playfulness reflecting in his light green eyes._

_“I, uh,” Zero began not sure how to reply without fanning any flames of annoyance between Battle and Nataku though it seemed more like harmless banter from Battle. Nataku on the other hand was another story. Fortunately the Winged Knight was saved by Rock._

_“We should return to Princess Rele's side. I was having a word with Zero but now we're finished.” Rock gave a nod to Zero as he began to turn way, “Zero knows what his task is and will join us later.”_

_“What's this? A secret quest for the Winged Knight? Don't tell me you are playing favorites, Rock.” Battle jested, appearing not upset in the slightest for not knowing of what was previously spoken between Zero and Rock. “Besides, is it not one for all and all for one? How is it we are splitting off one of our finest members from the rest of us?”_

_“Even if we are not together in person, we are together in spirit. The four of us will be able to handle our duty to protect the Royal Family while you do what you must, Zero.” Nataku spoke, giving a nod to the youngest of the Royal Knights as he gave Battle a harsh nudge to make the Crimson Knight cease his jovial remarks. “We all trust you, Zero even if we have no part in it. You have my—”_

_“And mine.” Battle interjected but Nataku went on._

_“—support. We all do as we must and we trust Rock's judgment for whatever task he has set before you. I, I mean we, know you will do it well.” Nataku quickly corrected as Battle appeared ready to correct him._

_“And that includes Deed, but I'm sure you know that. After all, we're brothers at arms, are we not?” Battle finished, placing a hand on Zero's shoulder while his eyes reflected his emotion. In turn Zero could not deny himself feeling happy._

_“Thank you my friends.”_

_“Fair thee well, Zero! Until we see you again after you have fulfilled your quest!” Battle called back dramatically, he and Nataku following Rock to return to their duties._

_“Must you act like some actor upon a grand stage? We're not before an audience.”_

_“Oh we aren't? I thought we were. I suppose I'm just practicing for the Princess.”_

_“Come on you two. We mustn't keep Deed nor Princess Rele waiting.” Rock called though the yellow knight gundam turned his gaze upon Zero and locked eyes for a moment. Nothing was said but something passed between them as the Knight of the Hot Sands gave one last nod and turned away._

_As Zero watched the three disappear down the corridor, confidence seemed to hum through him. “I have their complete faith. Even though they have no idea of what I must do, they believe in my success. And Rock has entrusted this task to me alone.” He clenched a fist as determination buzzed through his circuits. “I can do this!”_

_“I can't do this.” Zero moaned as he stood on one of the Lacroa Castle's balconies. It had been four and a half hours and the Winged Knight had spotted nothing amiss. He had even rotated from actual sentry outposts to a more casual view on the balcony. If he kept at it until Rock returned, Zero would eventually end up completing a full circle around the castle at least twice._

_“I have seen nothing to arouse suspicion even when I switched outposts every hour. I might as well just keep guard here instead of crowding the guards’ ranks and embarrass them with a Royal Knight's presence. Surely they think that I am performing some form of inspection or looking down at them... yet if I told them my reason they may understand but Rock said this task was for myself._

_“I am an extra pair of eyes just in case something happens. Even Rock said he wasn't sure so why should I cause the guards possible unfounded anxiety? Or should I just tell them so they can be more alert and cautious? Oh, I don't know anymore.” Zero growled with frustration as his circuits seemed ready to overload from such over processing. The Winged Knight scrubbed his head with his hand as he attempted to calm himself down and organize his thoughts. Never before had orders caused such complicated nor conflicted thoughts within the indigo knight._

_Why now?_

_Lowering his hand the Winged Knight walked over to the railing of the balcony and leaned forward, gazing out into the distance while a few Mmns floated by. “What possible threat is it that Rock senses? The last true battle we Royal Knights had was with Tallgeese and his minions Mercurius and Vayeate, but those three have been sealed away in the Dark Hole. And there is no escaping from that so what other possible evil could be on the horizon?”_

_"Pardon my interruption, sir knight, but could I request your assistance for a moment? I'm looking for- Oh! Thank Mana, you're one of the Royal Knights aren't you? The Winged Knight, yes?" An older feminine voice addressed Zero from behind, snatching his attention from his private thoughts. The knight turned to see who it was, surprised to hear a female's voice in the castle besides a servant's or Princess Rele's._

_Seeing that the speaker was indeed an older looking black and green gundamess, Zero swept into a light bow. "You are correct. I am Zero the Winged Knight, milady. And please, do not worry; I am more then happy to lend you a hand with whatever you need. As a knight gundam it is my duty to serve and protect."_

_"I've been trying to get in contact with you Royal Knights for a while now, specifically Rock, but I suppose my letters have not gone through. That is why I am here now as I wish to consult your leader. Perhaps you could guide me to him since I get lost within the castle walls due to unfamiliarity. I was fortunate one of the guards mentioned that a Royal Knight was nearby to me to speak with but I mistook you for another guard from behind. My apologies." The gundamess, whom Zero immediately recognized as a medical gundam, hurriedly explained though there was no rudeness in her tone, only urgency._

_Zero was immediately disappointed and slightly infuriated. Mistaken for a **guard**? However the Winged Knight pretended to not be offended, replying courteously, "I'm afraid, milady, I am unable to guide you to Rock right now due to my current... uh, duties. And alas, Rock is with the Princess at the moment so you'd have to wait for an audience to see him unless you meet him while he's off duty, but I regret to inform you that is rare."_

_"This cannot wait!" The medical gundamess insisted. "For all I know the Princess' own safety may be at risk! Therefore it ties into your duties as Royal Knights to protect the Royal Family so I must be granted audience to see Rock, please!" The gundamess looked desperate to speak her mind. She clutched the small satchel hanging on her shoulder as she stared into Zero's teal eyes while determination burned within her own brown eyes._

_Not wanting to disappoint a person in need as well fulfill his duties as a knight, Zero consoled, "If it helps, you could rely your message to me so I can in turn inform Rock when I see him. Unless of course this is for Rock's ears only since he is our leader."_

_The gundamess let out a sigh, pressing her head into her hand as she shook it. Eventually she stopped and looked at Zero with mixed relief and annoyance, "That is fine. As long as someone of the Royal Knights hears my concern and relays that to the others it is well. I will take what I can get as the others seem impossible to find and this is urgent, I can't waste any more time."_

_The medical gundamess then lay her hand on her chest, just above the orb that carried her life's essence. “I am Damia. I serve as a mentor to gundams in training of the medical practice of healing arts through various forms of flora and the blessed touch of Mana. What I am about to tell you is not to be spread like wildfire among every being in this castle and out; tis for a trustworthy few who will investigate and not cause a panic.”_

_“You have my word, Lady Damia.”_

_“Just Damia will do, there's no time or need for formalities. Now I do not know how inclined you are to pay heed to village gossip and whispers but I assure you my thoughts are not ill founded like most of those stories.” Damia eyed Zero for a moment, seeming to test the young Royal Knight. However when Zero remained silent, submitting a turn for speech, the medical gundamess continued, “I may be an old gundamess but my processors are as good as when I was younger if not better with wisdom from age. I know when and when not to pay heed to whispers but...”_

_“Ma'am?” Zero questioned after a few moments passed with Damia appearing troubled. After a few more moments the old gundamess appeared to relax slightly and regain confidence._

_“Pardon me, young knight, but something of late has not sat well with my old gundamium. What more are terrible rumors among the people that an evil is coming. They say this long peace is only stating the inevitable.”_

_Immediately Zero rose to quell any fear caused by foolish whispers born from idle gossip. “Our dear homeland of Lacroa has been blessed with a long period of peace. There has been no war here for a few centuries except for a few minor skirmishes, but nothing to truly threaten the peace of the whole of the land._

_“People talk about fear that may be in their hearts, kindled by the slightest doubt but it does not mean their fear is sensible. Fear and superstitions are what breathe life to myths and legends as well as fireside stories to scare children into obedience. Given there is almost always a grain of truth within a story, it does not mean that event will happen. Without proof to better found the rumors we can just-”_

_Zero caught himself, eyes widening. Was that Rock's own fear? Something based on mere whispers from subjects of Lacroa? Or was it truly a trained warrior's intuition telling him something? How was one to tell true insight into the future from simple ill feelings caused by paranoia?_

_Damia's voice filled his audio receptors, drawing his attention to her once more. The medical gundamess was lightly shaking her head, “I figured a Royal Knight would have a good head on his shoulders and know when to disregard mere superstition and talk. But I'd also hoped you'd know when to pay heed to something that could very well be a manifestation of those fears, to show wisdom in time of need when a true threat could be among us in ways we did not even comprehend.”_

_“What do you mean?” Zero questioned, his teal gazed locked into the cryptic yet serious medical gundamess. Was she questioning his insight because he was younger or was it because he was not Rock whom she had wanted to see in the first place? That or he was over thinking things and taking general remarks personally._

_“I stumbled across something that has caused me worry, as a medical gundam.” Damia reached into her satchel and drew something out of it. Whatever it was, the object was small enough to fit in her hand for concealment. However it was only a few seconds later that she turned up her hand, uncurling her fingers to reveal what she had._

_The Winged Knight stared at the object then back at Damia, not understanding. “A rock? Or no... a stone statue.” Zero corrected himself as he looked at the object closer as Damia raised her hand to better meet his eye level. “A little bird statue to be specific... is there something wrong with making animal sculptures, milady?” He was not sure if the circuitry in Damia was intact or if she was simply being eccentric as a jest._

_However upon seeing the seriousness in the old gundamess' brown eyes Zero swiftly added, “I do note it is very detailed to appear like a real bird. Its maker was surely blessed with an artistic gift from the Spirit Fountain. Where ever did you find it?”_

_Surely under the duties for knights was something about humoring eccentric old gundam folks._

_Damia's reply came in a serious tone, “In the valley.”_

_Zero looked up from his inspection of the stone bird, “That is a strange place to find a statue, a small lone animal one at that. How odd but interesting; perhaps its owner some how dropped it there during one of his travels to market.”_

_The black and green gundamess shook her head, “No, Winged Knight. I am afraid you don’t understand what I mean. This was a real bird! It’s been petrified some how!”_

_Zero was unable to prevent his eyes from widening as shock ran through his system. Even if Damia's presumptions seemed eccentric the Winged Knight could not deny the severity of them. “What? How is that possible? Do you have any proof?”_

_Damia carefully turned the bird so the wing that was facing her was now toward Zero and pointed, “That.” She indicated at a lightly outlined object that caused a slight deformation on the otherwise perfectly sculpted wing. “It’s a bandage.”_

_He relaxed slightly, replying calmly as logic seemed to be on his side, “It could have been carved like that.”_

_“Forgive my impudence, Winged Knight, but you error. True I would be inclined to have the same conclusion except for one fact that seems to be my only proof: I put that bandage on it.” Seeing that she had regained Zero's attention Damia continued, “I found this bird with an injured wing a few weeks ago to which I tended. Only two weeks passed before it flew away, escaping from me before I could take off the final bandages. I just about throttled Leone over that...” The black and green gundamess cleared her vocal processors for a moment as if to dismiss the last statement. Zero saw relived fury flash in Damia's brown eyes, instantly feeling sorry for whoever Leone was._

_“Pardon me, but how do you know this is not coincidental?”_

_When Damia spoke once more seriousness and professionalism rang in her tone, “I found the bird like this only three days after it had flown away which in time the bandage should have come off on its own. And where I found it was not along a common traveling route but not far off from where I kept the bird. It has now been four days since then and the letters I sent on the second day have not yet arrived.”_

_To Zero's surprise he realized her serious brown eyes now swarmed with concern, “Please believe me, Winged Knight, on behalf of the good of the people! Something did this to it! It could be a new disease or the effects of some foul beast... maybe a basilisk, I'm not sure! But please realize this might be a possible threat! That is why I must talk to Rock, he would understand me and heed my word!”_

_Damia shifted her gaze away, “I do not want to admit it but... I fear that this could mark the coming of something terrible as people have been saying… As a medical gundam I feel in all my years this is something unnatural. It is something we must take as a warning and act to prevent against it.”_

_Zero's teal eyes softened as he replied in a gentle tone, “Do no assume for the worst when we do not know the facts.” The black and green gundamess looked up at Zero, her brown eyes seemed to dare him to doubt her words once more. However Zero's next words were far from doubt, “If this truly is a strange new disease, possibly a plague if it gets out of hand, it must be looked into. Though so far it seems to only affect organic life does it not? I trust you and your apprentices have already begun to try treatments.”_

_“From what I can tell from the bird, yes, though at the moment it is an isolated incident. And yes we've been trying a variety of treatments but there's no response. However we have succeeded in finding that the bird is indeed alive in its petrified state. As there have been no other cases so far we cannot compare severity levels of the condition or how it progresses, whether this is instantaneous or develops over time.” Damia looked at the petrified bird once more, “Still, there’s something amiss.”_

_Zero stood in silence, his processors whirling as he sorted out all he had just learned and tired to decided on what to do. Finally, he replied, “I believe it wise not to mention this to anyone outside of your trusted apprentices' circle. We must be weary this may cause more unease and even a massive panic among the people of Lacroa before we even know all the facts. See if you can make any progress in a couple of days. In the meanwhile I shall inform Rock, relaying what you said. Should anything change, I am sure Rock will immediately inform the Princess and the King to in turn alert the people.”_

_The Winged Knight then swept into a bow, going down on one knee, pressing a hand onto his chest, “Healer Damia, I swear upon my honor as a Royal Knight and as the Princess’ bodyguard, the Royal Knights shall look into this. Whatever this threat is, we will find it and fight it, aiding you in whatever way we can.”_

_“You may be young, Royal Knight, but you are full of sincerity and do not lack in judgment. I am glad I talked to you. It was... refreshing. I can see why Rock would have chosen you for a solo duty.” Zero caught a knowing look in Damia's eyes and realized she had caught his earlier remark about his “duties.” Startled, he got to his feet while Damia lightly waved at him as she gently returned the petrified bird to her satchel._

_“I shall take my leave now. Farewell, Zero the Winged Knight.” The medical gundamess turned and walked away, back in the direction she had come. She paused for a moment before looking back at the lone figure on the balcony. “You shall become all the more fine Royal Knight as each year passes. Lacroa is honored to have you by the side of the Princess.” And with that, Damia the medical gundamess disappeared._

_“A fine Royal Knight?” Zero repeated to himself before blushing. “I've always been a fine knight gundam if I do say so but I suppose hearing it from another gundam doesn't hurt.” He stood straighter, his teal eyes unwavering as confidence flowed through him once more. “When it's nightfall and my duty for the day is over I shall locate Rock. In the morning we can then begin any possible search for the culprit or more victims.”_

_Zero's duty was to do as he had been charged by Rock. If this truly was a new disease there was nothing the Royal Knights could do as they were not trained in healing arts. The young knight gundam’s fist clenched as he reaffirmed his decision, “I will inform Rock after as telling him now couldn't do anything. With night almost upon us a search in the dark would be difficult. If I leave this unguarded it could hinder the Princess’ protection as an enemy could slip by as I leave to find a replacement.”_

_Waiting a few more hours to pass on Damia's information would surely not hinder any acts of counteraction. After all it could be a false alarm.... but even so, it was a knight's duty to respond to someone's cause of concern._

_And with those final thoughts, the Winged Knight turned back to face the land, his eyes gazing upward toward the sky where faint stars innocently winked at him. If there was some unknown evil hiding out in the lands of Lacroa, he, Zero the Winged Knight, would find them. Until that quest he would guard the Princess with his life as his duty and honor as a Royal Knight._

*~*~*

That day was forever regretted and vivid in Zero's memory banks for that was the very day that the Dark Axis launched a full invasion. All thought to what the medical gundamess Damia had said vanished when Zero was told by the other Royal Knights to take Princess Rele and flee, protecting her from harm.

“That accursed day…” His optics blurred as he teared up. Anger swelled up inside him, directed at himself for his lack of insight. “I was so stupid back then.” He growled at himself, “If only I wasn’t so hung up on fulfilling my duty to Rock’s command to make him proud. I was so arrogant of myself and my own abilities; I wanted to impress the other knights by doing as I was ordered… if I had told Rock and the others sooner then maybe then…” 

The Winged Knight fought the mixed emotions swirling inside of him, “Maybe then the Royal Knights would not be dead along with all Lacroa gundams!” His hands curled into fists in anger and anguish for his mistake he'd made two years before he met the SDG. “If only I had paid closer heed to Deed’s actions and mannerisms, maybe then I could have prevented it. I could have seen through his plans; I would have known what danger was lurking within him. I could have prevented so much if only I had warned them... and I even promised Lady Damia but I broke it. I'm a liar.”

If only had he known then that there was a betrayer among them, that the bird’s condition was due to Dark Axis scouts coming to Lacroa and releasing a small batch of BaguBagu. If only he had left his post immediately and not waited until nightfall to meet up with the others, delaying to tell Rock about Damia’s find. 

His mistake had cost his friends, his comrades, his family, for that's what the Royal Knights had become to him. Because of that mistake he'd let his family down, leaving them to their deaths as he escorted the Princess to safety, none knowing what evil they were facing or that one amongst their midst was the true villain. Had the Royal Knights known right before they died? Or did they simply think Deed had disappeared amongst the fray and this mysterious Deathscythe appeared to send them to their deaths? 

The unanswered questions gnawed at Zero, knowing he'd never find out. The only one saved from the ordeal was himself; teleported to Neotopia he’d had been spared from seeing more inhabitants’ petrifaction while also escaping the terrible fate of being melted down for General Zeong. But all other gundams in Lacroa had not been so blessed.

“I’m hailed as the Savior but I’m the last of the original Lacroa gundams and the only Royal Knight. A new generation looks to me, the new knight gundams trained by me and even aspiring to be me, but I’m in part to blame for the demise of their predecessors. I could have saved them. I failed Lacroa and they don’t know it.”

He hated his failure of not being back sooner to save the gundams or even preventing the death of so many innocents. If he had hastened his return, he might have saved at least a few gundams. 

Despite the fact new gundams were being born from the Spirit Fountain every day they could not take the place of those who had died. Those who had perished during the invasion were now part of Mana, becoming one with the land. Those who had been petrified were saved by the white BaguBagu, including Princess Rele. 

Princess Rele was normal once more, thanks to the SDG’s efforts, and Zero had sworn to protect her with all his soul and strength in order to live out the Royal Knight’s final request. It was the least he could to atone for his ignorance and broken promise to the medical gundamess Damia. The Princess however was unaware of Zero’s error and took light in things. She was now constantly by Shute’s side, laughing and smiling whenever she had a chance to visit or go off on an adventure with the Gundam Force. It almost gave Zero a system overload with worry every time she was careless, doing “stunts” with Shute whenever they reunited. It caused Zero anxiety as well as pain from worry but it also relieved him. 

After being a statue for years, Zero feared for the worst of the Princess' mentality but it seemed in vain. Still, Zero longed to be by her side in Lacroa but knew that with the Dimensional Transport Device, the Gundamusai on their side, and occasional visits from the Zakorello Gate and Chibirello, the Force could go to any dimension without any true trouble. Plus Rele could create portals on her own.

Even so, the split in duty to his homeland and princess and call to fight with the Gundam Force was a dilemma. He could not be in two places at once and secretly he feared for the day when he would have to place one as priority over the other. Being in Neotopia now was wearing on him though Princess Rele had given her blessing.

The indigo gundam’s mind wandered back to the battles he had with the Dark Axis forces and General Zeong. They were the cause of Zero’s pain but he could not really blame the Dark Axis though he certainly had not forgiven them. They had chosen their side and fought for their cause: expanding their territory and getting rid of those who got in their way. It was a typical conquering force's mentality, even for one who was at war within the same country, let alone world. He remembered how the Dark Axis' homeland had looked; it was so bleak, dark and hardly welcoming that he could almost sympathize with the Axian trio and the Zako Soldiers for wanting conquest. 

Besides, it was Deed’s treachery that had lead to the Princess’ stony state, something that had happened all because of the former Royal Knight's selfishness. The Dark Axis had merely been a tool used by Deed to get what he wanted though each had played a part in Lacroa's ruin. But now the former lords and Zakos had given up their Dark Axis ways and lived peacefully in Ark under Genkimaru's somewhat rule.

Zero’s teal eyes narrowed as he went over his last thought. “What were they doing here in Neotopia? Why were they trying to blow up the city and where did they get that Dark Axis equipment?” Suspicion whirled through his processors, “This does not sound like Genkimaru’s mischief. There is something more serious behind this then a simple joke. They were no doubt trying to kill us all. And even if they got the weapons from confiscated stashes in Ark, how did they get hold of that airship?”

As Zero replayed recent fight once more, he picked out oddities. “They acted as if they did not know the musha kid. They even seemed to have no memory about Commander Sazabi’s destruction or what happened after that. It was as if they believed that the Dark Axis still existed, that the final battles had never been fought.”

Just then, something else sparked in his memory banks, drawing his attention to a more recent event. The shadowy figure! It had appeared to have familiarity with the Dark Axis, judging by its reaction. Zero’s teal eyes widened in revelation.

“I understand now, whoever that figure was they must be from another dimension that still has influence from the Dark Axis over it! There could be lingering forces in unknown dimensions; we destroyed most of their forces but some could have slipped by us... but I can't be sure that's it and presume the predicament.” He mumbled to himself, trying to figure out the puzzle he swore was almost complete. 

Zero cast a look at his arm as he switched his thoughts, wishing for less pessimism. The scratches left over from his recent battle were lightly colored and thin, barely enough to call battle scars. Even his scorch marks were few and faint sure to fade away once given more time. Overall, the various marks hardly appeared fresh or even as serious as they should have been considering the intense battle that had taken place.

“These have healed too fast for it to be my body's natural ability.” Zero studied his light wounds. “Even though my magic can aid in tending wounds I do not have the skill nor pact with Mana to allow me such perfection with healing. That’s why we had medical gundams whose skill would...” 

A spark of hope flickered deep within his soul's core, “Could it be? Damia? Or perhaps some other medical gundam?” The Winged Knight looked up into the sky, teal eyes wide and wishful. “Could they have come back as a spirit to help me for one last time before they became one with Mana? Was that a place where spirits sometimes go?”

Instantly something inside of him denied such a thought, calling him a fool for even thinking such a thing. Such a futile romantic notion that did not belong when reality was cruel and had taken the lives of those medical gundams he now thought of. 

“No… it couldn’t be… how’d I get teleported back to Neotopia?” Zero resented the thought as he realized the cold grip of guilt and reason screamed protest. “But who was that then? Surely no new medical gundam would be in a place like that... How did they heal my wounds? Who was my savior?” He looked back at his hand, his teal eyes searching as if the answer was somehow hidden in his wounds.

Zero shifted his gaze upward, noticing that the sky was darkening as the sun was setting. However he ignored it, slipping back into a pensive state. “But… still, that voice. Why does it seem so familiar?” Zero frowned in puzzlement, having the strange feeling that he had heard it somewhere before. 

Zero shifted his gaze upward, noticing that the sky was darkening as the sun was setting. However he ignored it, slipping back into a pensive state. “But… still, that voice. Why does it seem so familiar?” Zero frowned in puzzlement, having the strange feeling that he had heard it somewhere before. 

The figure’s voice rang as his memory banks replayed it, _“Look to the stars.”_

Zero’s head instantly shot up with eyes wide once more. His teal eyes moved to the darkening sky though the sun’s last rays could be seen peeping out from the hills beyond. Little lights began to flicker in the sky, slowing fading into brightness. He patiently watched as the sky gradually grew darker and the stars began to stand out more, appearing like diamonds placed on a dark cloth, the lights reflecting in Zero’s eyes. 

He stared up at the glowing curtain of black, the tiny lights lightly pulsing and twinkling. Nothing happened for a few moments and a calm silence met Zero as his feverishly check the sky for some kind of sign. Just then a shooting star streaked across the sky, a small glow following behind it like a banner streaming in the wind, leaving a short trail.

Zero’s eyes grew as big as dishes while his pupils shrank as he watched the phenomenon. He could only watch in awe at the streaking star that quickly disappeared as fast as it had come, his mind whirling. Something in his memory banks suddenly clicked, old data seeming to appear out of nowhere as if it had been hiding from him. The Lacroan gundam took a step forward, as though being drawn toward the heavens. 

“I-I… I remember.” He stuttered, his pupils still small as he looked at the stars. “I can recall it all; it’s as if a fog has been lifted from my mind that I was not aware of.” 

Zero blinked for a moment, his pupils back to normal as the initial shock swept over him and passed. Looking up once more toward the sky, full of determination and success Zero shouted, “I remember that voice!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably my favorite chapter since I got to visit past Lacroa and explore the Royal Knight's personalities based on what we saw as a mere glimpse in the show's flashbacks. It was nice to dive into a deeper relationship between Zero and his comrades and address issues swept under the rug due to the more light-hardheartedness of the show and fast track through the Lacroa Arc. I wanted to address Zero's PTSD and survivor's guilt while struggling to move forward, but unable to because of the secret he's been harboring of possibly being able to give an earlier warning to impending trouble.  
> 
> 
> \--- 
> 
> Credits: 
> 
> Damia, Leone, Kaon, Kakeru, Kesshō, Rin © PumpkinaChai


	3. Unannounced Visitor! Revelations and Solutions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just as Zero returns from his night of solitude the SDGF is on alert as an unknown being appears in the skies above Neotopia. As GunEagle moves to intercept they try to glean information about this "visitor." What revelations are in store?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I combined the old Chapter 3 with Chapter 4 as they were both rather short and followed better together. I'd originally kept the separate due to a story beat/cliffhanger but given most other chapters are 20+ pages it felt odd to have two short chapters in a row (8 and 6 pages). Now here's the new chapter with revisions in all its 14 page glory and new title! 
> 
> You can read the PDF version of this chapter on my [deviantart](http://fav.me/dccln35)

The sun peeked over the grassy hills, stretching its rays as it arose into the sky. The darkness, which had not long ago descended from the night, retreated away surrendering to the sun’s awakening. Some dewdrops dripped off the leaves and petals of flowers, having been caused but the dampness of the night. It was morning.

At the SDG Ground Base, movement was already happening. Lights flicked on inside as robots began to move around, getting ready for the day. After the original base’s drop from the sky, a new smaller building had been built on the land near the Dimensional Transport Device though a new aerial base was nearing completion. The ground base would serve as a communication hub and had some accommodations; but it mostly was there to keep an eye on the active DTD; it could always use more defenses.

The land base had finished construction in only four and half months, having started immediately after the Kaon invasion and all focus being on its completion. This month was the first time it was fully operational. After the battle with General Zeong and then the invasion from Kaon, it was decided that having the Gundamusai to serve as a second, yet mobile, base was not enough. Three appeared to be a good number. 

As security robots moved around inside a lone figure walked down the hall. It passed by some janitor bots that greeted “Good morning” and the figure greeted back. The figure stopped in front of a door that slid open and then walked in, the lights turning on as they sensed motion.

The figure walked to the front of the room and carefully sat into a chair. The figure reached over and picked up the headset that sat on the desk. After placing it upon her head, which was covered in short purple hair, the figure swiveled her chair to face the giant computer screen before her. Her blue eyes watched the screen as she clicked it on and logged in. The computer then took its turn to greet her as the screen changed, displaying “Good morning, Juli” while a computerized voice spoke it before the screen flicked to show files and the monitoring system of the base and Neotopia.

The woman smiled, “Well, at least my computer can greet me in the morning. It makes it seem like I’m not alone in the room.”  
Juli was used to speaking with robots and was well aware that the Gundamusai’s navigational computer, RAIMI, could speak and control the ship; but a computer addressing you, and even holding a conversation as if a fully capable human was new. It seemed that Chief Kao Lyn had felt at liberty to team up with Bellwood, the technical genius of the force, to add new features to the computer and base, necessary or not. 

The woman watched the computer run through files she had requested the day before. She stifled a yawn and looked at the clock: 7:30am. Most of the other Ground Base staff members did not come in until around 8 to 9 which was the normal time. But as Juli had told herself old habits die hard; besides, someone had to be here early to check things. Juli leaned back in the chair, looking upward. “Maybe I should have gotten coffee…” 

The computer stopped processing the files and a popup appeared, flashing while the computer's voice strangely remained silent. Juli caught the change of color out of the corner of her eye as well heard the beeping sound. She looked at the blinking sign, reading it, “Alert: Error?” 

The purple haired SDG staff member leaned forward and began to type quickly. She glanced up at the computer once in a while as she punched in commands and requests. After a few minutes of typing and searching through files, the alert kept flashing, blaring its warning. Juli sat back, staring at the screen. “I think I’d better call Chief Haro and get everyone in here.”

*~*~*

Zero was on his way to Shute’s house. He had stayed in the field and rested there all night but had not gotten any real sleep as his processors would not stop as he stared up at the stars. The knight hovered a few inches off the ground, his flight boosters on. Thoughts swirled around him as he thought of the shooting star and the stranger’s voice. He remembered now where he had heard it but first he would have to apologize to everyone for his behavior. He had certainly caused confusion among them.

As he arrived outside of Shute’s home he stopped, seeing Bakunetsumaru just dismounting from Entengo, his faithful steed. The red musha did not see Zero for he was facing the front door. Zero let out a sigh. Apologizing to Bakunetsumaru would be a tad hard.  
Still, the Lacroa gundam headed up the path, thinking his words carefully over. The knight arrived on the deck and paused for a moment. Bakunetsumaru still did not notice him, however Entengo turned his head and neighed his greeting. 

Zero’s mind was immediately overwhelmed with a wave of uncertainty. Apologizing was such a simple thing yet it was nearly impossible to do with the samurai even though he was Zero’s friend. It was harder to make up when you were the one in the wrong. But there was no escaping now, Bakunetsumaru knew he was there.

It took a moment but Bakunetsumaru turned around. His expression and mood was a mystery, the Blazing Samurai looking uncharacteristically stoic. The musha's eyes locked with Zero’s. The indigo knight quickly gathered his thoughts and cleared his vocal processors. “Um, Bakunetsumaru… about the other day…”

“I’m sorry.”

The knight jerked his head up, his eyes wide. “W-what?” He stammered, surprised and shocked. 

Bakunetsumaru stood facing him with his feet planted and his fists balled, as if angry though his brown eyes were looking away. “I was wrong. Please forgive my actions and words yesterday. I was not thinking. I got carried away with my jest.”

Zero was taken back. The knight stared even harder, searching for words. It was rare that he was ever rendered speechless. The knight shook his head, recomposing himself. “Nay, it is I who is at fault. I should have not been acting on my own. I was being distant. Sorry.” He shifted his own gaze away, not looking at Bakunetsumaru.

Images flashed in his mind of the day his home was doomed. The beating of BaguBagu’s wings echoed in his audio receptors and he saw the sky blackened from the millions of hovering bodies hovering. He saw Princess Rele’s face as he was carried away to another dimension, helplessly watching her turn to stone. His fists clenched, thinking of how he had left the Princess trapped as well as the other knights. Though the Princess was now safe, the others were gone forever. New knights could not replace his old comrades. 

Suddenly, a hand was on Zero’s shoulder. The knight jerked his head up in surprised, looking up into the face of Bakunetsumaru. The samurai’s brown eyes had a sincere look reflecting in them. “Apology accepted, friend.”

Zero stared for a moment before blinking, relaxing a bit. “Thanks, Bakunetsumaru. I must say though this is a once in a life time thing.”

Bakunetsumaru lifted his hand off. “What is?” He asked, a curious tone in his voice, “That we’re both apologizing?” As much as he hated to admit it, it was true. Still, he could not help a smile forming behind his mouthplate.

Zero’s teal eyes twinkled, though the knight tried to look serious. “No, just you.”

“What!?” Bakunetsumaru scoffed, “Zero! You jerk!” Though it was in a friendly manner, he shook a fist at the Lacroa gundam.

Zero laughed before pausing for a moment, “Um, Baku, there’s something I need to-” but was cut off by a shout.

“Bakunetsumaru! We have to—Zero! You’re back! That’s great!” Shute came out looking a bit flustered, almost set to panicing despite the crisis not being revealed. “I just got a call from Juli at Ground Base! She said come right away! Something’s happened!”

“What!?” Bakunetsumaru turned toward Shute, his brown eyes looking serious. Entengo let out a whinny and pawed the ground. The samurai looked at Zero and gave him a nod, “We’d better head over there.”

“Indeed.” Zero nodded, the knight letting out a silent thanks that everything seemed to be normal except for Juli’s message. He would have to tell the group his discovery later, when they were not preoccupied.

“Captain will meet us there! Come on!” Shute waved and took off, his booster backpack bouncing as he skated. “By the way, Zero! Glad to have you back!” The brown haired boy flashed a smile as he glanced over his shoulder.

Zero nodded with gratitude as he kicked on his flight boosters. He quickly followed Bakunetsumaru, riding on Entengo, and Shute who turned on his skates’ thrusters. Hopefully he would be back permanently and whatever Juli’s discovery was, with any luck, it would be good and helpful. 

Hopefully.

*~*~*

“Phew. That was a bit harder than I expected.”

A shadowy figure, having just appeared in the middle of the sky, checked itself while floating in midair, dull colored pixie like wings gently flapping. “Hm… Every thing seems to be in piece, though a bit dull. Oh well.” The figure spoke to itself, its voice sounding a bit staticky, and looked up, purple eyes glowing, “I’d best hurry up, who knows how long I have to find them.” The figure began to glide across the sky, the crimson orb in its chest glowing faintly.

It trained its optical sensors on the scenery around it. Birds flew undisturbed by, as if not bothered by the fact of a random being simply stationed in the sky. The figure blinked but continued to watch and fly along. 

As the figure observed what was going on the ground below, a voice called out, snapping its attention away. The figure halted for a moment, its pixie wings flapping and turned its head to see whom the voice belonged to.

“Yo! You! Stop!”

A military looking gundam fitted with metal eagle-like wings was speeding toward the figure. The figure observed the jet like vents on his navy blue chest as the gundam got closer. It also took note of the rifle in his hand. “Ah, one of the locals…”

The figure scooted back as soon as the gundam was within talking distance, not trusting close contact. Some distance between was good.

“What do you think you’re doing? This is a no fly-zone.” GunEagle demanded as soon as he was able to get close to the intruder. His emerald eyes quickly scanned it over. It certainly wasn’t anything he had seen before, not that he could tell what it was. All it looked liked was a gundam that was black with tints of gray but no details of armor seen anywhere; it was more like a living silhouette, though the pixie wings were certainly new. 

The rookie let out a “Hm.” before jerking his head at the strange gundam. “And just who are you?” It appeared not to be foe since it had not attacked him while he was approaching. A bit of disappointment arose in GunEagle since that meant no one to fight and show off his skills to. Maybe it was a good think he had not fired his beam rifle…

The shadow gundam shrugged its shoulders, speaking in its undetermined voice that seemed to crackle, “I’m not sure, it depends, but I don’t think you’d understand.” Its purple eyes lit up. “Either way, you’d best leave me alone, for the best of us both. I’m in a hurry.”

“Nuh, uh. I’m afraid I, GunEagle—pride of the SD Gundam Force—can’t let you do that. See, you’re trespassing and intruders here in Neotopia are not taking lightly.” GunEagle waved his beam rifle to make his point across.

The shadow gundam appeared to be taking in the information and thinking for a moment before replying cautiously, though with what appeared to be a bit of humor, “What if I was a ‘visitor?’”

“Visitor? Now that’s a lame excuse. Besides, neither Mayor Margaret nor Chief Haro said anything about a visitor from another dimension. Though it seems Neotopia naturally draws them.” The rookie noted the arrival Bakunetsumaru and Zero as well as the Dark Axis and Kaon invasion forces.

The shadow gundam seemed to let out a strange cough sound, the sound of static crackling in the background. It shook its head, “Aw, perfect.” GunEagle was not sure if the comment was about what he had said or because of the mysterious gundam’s cough, perhaps both.

“I don’t have time to chat. Time is of the essence and my essence is not much. I need to find the _kibou hoshi_.” With that, the gundam gave a faint wave of the hand, as if dismissing GunEagle and started to fly away.

Suddenly GunEagle was in front. The gundam appeared shocked, its pixie wings flapping rapidly for a moment as it stopped itself. “Ah, don’t think I’m letting you go anywhere,” he announced in a playful voice. “I’m going to take you back to headquarters for questioning. Or-” The aerial gundam waved his beam rifle, “Do you want to do this the hard way?”

What startled GunEagle was when the shadow gundam let out a laugh, “My, this is amusing. It appears you’re a speedy flying type, aren’t you? Unique for this world.” 

GunEagle looked hard at the gundam before him, puzzled as what to do. The shadow gundam still hovered, laughing, when suddenly its appearance became fuzzy and like a blur, then the distorted figure was gone. 

GunEagle yelped in surprised and quickly looked around. The strange gundam appeared behind him, leaning close to his audio receptors, “Let’s see just how fast those jet boosters of yours work.” The rookie spun around, wielding his beam rifle, ready to take aim but the figure was no longer there. 

It was speeding away from him.

“Hah! Don’t think a simple trick like that can shake me!” GunEagle crowed, “I’ll show you why I’m the fastest gundam on the Force!” The rookie kicked his flight boosters on full power and shot after the intruder. “Besides, the babes simply love a speeding guy!”

The shadow gundam let out a return “Hah” and continued flying, appearing to effortlessly glide on its pixie wings; small sparkles and shimmers appeared to come of them.

“Geez, this guy is almost as bad as Zero…” GunEagle mumbled to himself, thinking of the knight gundam who used to shower everyone with violet blue roses but had done it rarely since he had been reunited with his Princess. “At least this guy just has sparkles.” 

Just then the figure made a sharp turn, causing GunEagle to almost swerve to maneuver.

“Hey, nice move, but don’t think that it’s better than mine! I let you do that one!” GunEagle switched his boosters even higher and speed closer to the gundam. The gap was closing easily.

“Hah, I got you now!” GunEagle called as soon as he was on the other gundam’s heels, close enough to reach out and grab its foot. Before he could, the shadow gundam had another coughing fit and the static sound happened again, only this time a strange frequency disrupted GunEagle’s audio receptors.

“Ugh!” GunEagle winced at the screeching noise and the strange sound that appeared to sound like a high pitched distorted melody that was off key. He opened his eyes in time to see that the other gundam had abruptly stopped and that he was flying straight at it, ready for a collision. 

“Whoa!” The rookie shouted and tried to slow down and swerve but crashed straight into the gundam—or more accurately: **through** it.

At the last moment, the shadow gundam started to become fuzzy and almost transparent. The aerial gundam passed through the other without any harm.

“Whoa! Uh, gross!” GunEagle shouted when he realized he was on the other side, halting on the spot. “That is one of the sickest things I ever done but that was totally cool! Man, that felt a bit like a mini thunderstorm.” He shook his hand to get the tingling sensation out of it. 

“Alright, **now** I am really curious as to what you are.” His emerald eyes shown with interest as he turned to look at the intruder. 

The shadow gundam had recovered from its fit though it did not look pleased. Still its purple eyes flashed, “Maybe I’ll tell you if you catch me. As you see, that did not count.” The crimson orb in its chest pulsed even more now, almost like a timer. “Though, as I said, time is of the essence; I can’t waste it. You're not what I'm looking for.”

“Well, as far as I can tell, I am essence itself.” GunEagle grinned, his Soul Drive pounding with excitement. “Besides, you're not exactly my type either, whatever you are.”

“My, aren’t you a cocky one.” The shadow gundam suddenly made a quick sign with its hand and it disappeared once more. GunEagle tried not being distracted by being surprised and act collected as he spun around, trying to spot the gundam. Not spotting it instantly he lowered his visor.

“Ah, there you are.” He chuckled to himself as he located the gundam on his scanners. “Ready or not, here I come!”

The chase continued for another ten minutes. 

The shadow gundam appeared to be slowing down a bit, which made GunEagle giddy. No one could keep his pace for a long time. No one except for maybe Captain when he was in his F mode. “Looks like I’ve got, ya!” GunEagle shouted as soon as he decided it was time to end this. He kicked on his hyper boosters and sped toward the gundam, planning to either tackle or grab it, as long as it did not do its weird thing again. “Time to take you in! Though thanks for the fun.”

The shadow gundam glanced behind it to see the GunEagle closing in. “Ah, I don’t think so.” It glanced at the orb in its chest that now was pulsing more rapidly. “We part ways here,” The figure suddenly turned to face GunEagle and there was a blinding flash that lit up part of the sky, “ _Ja ne_ , hopefully.”

“Whoa! Geez!” GunEagle shouted and quickly put his kicked his boosters into reverse to halt his movement. He threw an arm over his eyes to help protect his optical sensors while his other hand still gripped his beam rifle. After a few moments, he lowered his arms and blinked a couple of times. 

His optical sensors seemed to be going a bit berserk so he shook his head to clear the circuits, lightly tapping his head. “Man, talk about the world’s largest light bulb or something.” Just then voices broke the silence. 

“Whoa! What was that!?” (Oh whatever his name was… Bakunetsumaru)

“GunEagle, are you alright!?” (Ah, that would be Shute…)

“What happened!?” (That sounded like the pansy gundam Zero)

“GunEagle? Can you hear us? Come in!” (Good ol’ Captain!)

“Hey, hey, hey! Slow down, guys! I appreciate the concern for the great GunEagle, but one at a time!” The aerial gundam laughed, twirling his beam rifle triumphantly—though it’d gone unused. He quickly stopped twirling it when his vision became a bit blurry and he felt dizzy. “Whoa. Guys, I recommend not standing close too fireworks when they go off. Talk about cleansing the ol' optics.”

A few brief laughs came over the com though Shute’s voice broke through.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“You mean him or his ego?” GunEagle heard Bakunetsumaru murmur but he chose to ignore it.

“Yeah, I think I’m alright. No real damage. That light’s all that got me though. I mean, I didn’t even get to pull my trigger!”

“Was that because of you deciding to take it slowly for once or simply because you thought you could beat the intruder with your bare hands?” Zero’s voice came next, though it did not seem to be snappy.

GunEagle simply rolled his eyes, “Well excuse me for checking to see if it was a distress signal first. We can’t tell anymore who’s in trouble or who’s causing trouble since we’ve starting helping all kinds of dimensions. Most of the time though it seems like people like popping in unannounced.” 

“We? Did he say ‘we’?” Bakunetsumaru asked, probably talking to Zero, “We’re the ones who tend to be sent out. He simply gets base and homeland duty.”

GunEagle pouted at this remark. It was partly true but hey, that was because they need a tough guy like him to stay in Neotopia and fend off any attackers that should arrive while Captain and the others were gone. Besides, that meant getting all the babes to himself thanks to no competition, though not to say there was any competition in the first place… The rookie let out a low chuckle of glee. He was a one gundam army.

“GunEagle, is the intruder still in the area?” Chief Haro’s low, serious tone came over the line, cutting out all other sounds as his authority surely intimidated those around him. GunEagle quickly stood at attention, knowing it was a serious matter. He hurriedly switched on his scanners once more and started monitoring the sky. Completing a full circle to get a better view, GunEagle continued to search for readings but after a few moments he gave his answer.

“Ah, no Chief. It appears that he’s gone. Whatever he… it… was.” GunEagle hovered in midair thinking, “All I can pick up is just some birds. Even when I had him in my sights, my optical scanners couldn’t pick up a full signal, just a distortion. It was like a blur, a smudge on my scanners… It’s as if he just vanished in thin air, no energy signals to trail—just nothing.”

“Hm…” Chief Haro seemed curious, though Juli was probably pulling up the live feed of the encounter. “I’m not sure of the reason but as soon as you reported that you had spotted the target the line dropped dead and we could not communicate though the SD Base reported seeing you. Even the feed from your battle is scrambled. I suspect however that it was our ‘visitor’s’ fault.”

“Yeah, we were starting to pick up what you were saying toward the end but we couldn’t respond to you. The line only came back when that giant flash went off.” 

GunEagle let out a whistle at Shute’s comment. “I thought that flash was mighty big. I wonder if the whole city thinks there was a supernova or something.”

A new voice broke over the line, “Chief Haro, I think it would be best for GunEagle to come back to Ground Base. I think my findings might hold an answer though I can't be sure. It would be best to compare our data with GunEagle’s.”

“You’re right, Juli; GunEagle, return to base for a quick debriefing of this incident. We're depending on your recount of the encounter since you are our sole source. We're counting on you, soldier.”

“Roger that, Chief!”

*~*~*

Zero waited patiently for GunEagle to return, which was not long. The Winged Knight turned to look at the group that was now gathered in the room. Things had happened so quickly that he was not sure what to do. Events were unraveling faster then he could figure them out and adding more to everyone else's plates.

After Shute, Bakunetsumaru, and he arrived in Juli’s office she had stated that an indefinable object had appeared in the sky just before they arrived and GunEagle had been sent out to verify. The rookie had then reported spotting something when the line when dead. Now that he’d had returned to the base in one piece, the knight listened to GunEagle’s explanation of what happened.

“It would just appear and disappear, as if it was teleporting or something.” The gundam shook his head. “Not that that did much. It only appeared a few feet away from me every time. A real lame form of shadow stepping if you ask me. Still, it appeared to me like a strange kind of gundam, Chief Haro.” GunEagle finished, turning to the tall figure that stood by the computer.

“Yes, by your description, it appears to be an unknown type of gundam.” The figure tapped the chin of the green haro mask that covered his face. “And Juli, you said that there was no indication of a portal at all? The mysterious being just appeared in the middle of the sky?”

“That’s right, Chief. Even if it did, it didn’t match any signals of the portals that we’ve come across so far. Though,” The purple haired woman turned in her seat and punched in some commands on the computer. “There is something here that I need to show you all; it’s why I alerted Chief Haro in the first place and called the rest of you.”

The screen immediately began to flash as it had done earlier when Juli had first checked her computer. The “Alert” sign blared except the computer continued to work, going through files, pulling random ones up. Everyone just stared in silence and puzzlement as the computer continued this for some minutes. It popped up another sign, the computer voice stating, “Search done. All relating files have been collected, Juli.”

“Thanks.” Juli turned to face everyone, pointing to the screen. “I ran an analysis on the portal that the Axian force fled through the other day. It took some time but according to the computer the data waves emitting from the portal don’t match any dimension that we currently know of.” She tapped a button and pulled up a file. “It’s not from the Zakorello transport dimension or Genkimaru’s special technique.” Another file was pulled up, “Nor our Dimensional Transport Device, which would only be possible though a strange malfunction.” 

“Not that that’s rare.” Bakunetsumaru muttered, thinking of the countless times the Force had problems with the transport. Even after Bellwood had supposedly fixed it… multiple times. Maybe it just needed something of giant size to hit it to make it work… like Daishinshou's hand.

“Also, I found it strange that they were using weapons that we supposedly destroyed. Namely the Komusai II, which was one of the first things to go long before our confiscation of their weapons. So I ran tests on the anatomy and structure of the airship.” The SDG staff member looked disappointed, “Unfortunately I could not come up with anything; that is until our unidentifiable visitor showed up.

“I ran new tests while GunEagle was chasing it, even with the little communication we had, and I tried to even discover the light’s origin.” A chart appeared on the computer screen, “It matches almost identically to the matter of the portal though since it is different in certain parts of the energy, I believe it to be different. However I did find similarities of the gundam creature and the Komusai II. Their genetic make-up appeared to be solid yet we know from GunEagle’s report that the gundam seemed to become see through at times. ” 

“Like a ghost!?” Bakunetsumaru’s brown eyes became the size of plates and he started to look nervous.

“No, like an illusion. Or more likely, half of an illusion; I’m going to have to suggest magic here.” Juli turned to look at everyone, “and I think it's safe to say that we’re dealing with a new enemy.”

“Yes, I believe this is the case. Especially when considering Captain’s reports on the behavior of the Axian trio. There is a chance that they were acting not on their own intent. This enemy must have some technology that allows them to cross dimensions, like the Dark Axis.” Chief Haro looked as stern as he ever could with that mask over his face.

“So do you think the fight with Zapper, Grapper and Dom was just a rouse to draw our attention toward them while this enemy came in to observe us?” Shute felt a sick feeling starting in his stomach. “But why did this appear way **after** the battle, while we were not preoccupied?”

“Well, that freaky shadowy pixie guy did mention looking for something though I don't think he found it while I was on his tail.” GunEagle added, thinking back on his encounter. “He appeared to just be toying as he did not engage combat, simply evading me. He even backed off a bit when I first arrived! I mean, come on he was obviously intimidated by my well armed, amazing self!”

Zero, having been quiet this whole time, fidgeted for a moment, taking in everyone’s words. There was a chance that he could explain about the “visitor” but he was not sure if he was right. The Lacroa gundam unfolded his arms. Pieces of the puzzle seemed to be put together, but not others. He had to act now and say something; withholding seemingly incomplete information could be fatal... like with the Knights. 

“I think I might be able being some things to light.” Everyone turned to stare at Zero whose teal eyes were now unwavering.

“I couldn’t tell you, my comrades, before because I had forgotten though not by my own will.” The knight rubbed his head, thinking back at the headache that had plagued him for days but was now gone. It was as if a cloud had been lifted and his memory circuits were fully buzzing now. Even the burden in his soul’s core seemed less though it still felt like something was latching onto him. 

Zero fixed his teal eyes on his fellow gundams. “I’ve been… receiving multiple distress calls for days, maybe even weeks, where a voice is calling out to me. At first I thought it was just dreams when I recalled bits, but now I know that they are real. Our help is needed in another dimension; we need to help the planet of Kendra.”

“You’ve been what?” Bakunetsumaru gawked, not believing what he heard. Zero had been receive distress signals but he never told anyone?

“Why haven’t we gotten a distress call?” Shute asked, feeling a bit relieved to know that there was an explanation behind Zero’s strange behavior and perhaps the mysterious visitor, but wondering why no one else had received or heard the call.

“I think mainly it’s magic.” Zero was not sure but it seemed to be the only conclusion. The knight thought for a moment. “I am the only one who has been hearing them because I possess magical powers and have a pact with Mana.” The Lacroan gundam gestured at the computer screen that had a very fuzzy image of the visitor GunEagle had encountered displayed. One of the cameras had captured the image but it was nothing to really go off of; it was like a piece of paper haven been through a washing machine. 

“Also, I believe this fellow comes from Kendra.” He indicated to the pixie like wings that were obviously magic, such organic matter surely not being natural to a gundam being. “His appearance was similar to the one who healed me in the fact they both seemed to be a mere phantom made out of static. It seems we have encounter two different beings.”

“If that’s the case of him being from this, Carribla place, then why didn’t the guy just come out and say that he needed help?” GunEagle exclaimed, “He didn’t have to go wasting our time like that. And besides that, I think he needs to work on his vocabulary, saying odd words like ‘key bow sashimi’ or something and ‘jah neigh.’”

“Wait, do you mean _kibou hoshi_?” Zero quizzed GunEagle who shrugged,

“Maybe. Honestly I wasn’t paying attention it was a bit boring.”

“According to my readings GunEagle you were enjoying the chase.” Captain glanced at his comrade. The military gundam was now in his Hyper Captain Option Z model body, the modifications now complete. Unfortunately he was finishing up with Kao Lyn when GunEagle had been dispatched to investigate. Thankfully he was not needed so he had simply joined and waited with the others. “And an accent or other language is not unlikely.”

“Well… It wasn’t really much of a challenge.” GunEagle rolled his eyes and stretched, “I probably could have over taken the guy if I had kicked on my full flight power in the first place. I don’t think the peeps of Candri will be much of a problem if they’re all like him. I mean they seem to just like to run away and not make sense.”

“But you chose not to, and he got away. And it’s **Kendra**.” Bakunetsumaru pointed out GunEagle’s mistake, smiling lightly behind his mouthplate. Even he got that right. “But Zero, why didn’t you say something sooner?” The musha looked at the knight gundam with curiosity and confusion.

“I could not remember anything about it. What I could recall was something had been bothering me and that I had a headache that would not go away.” Zero brought his hand up, putting it over his core orb. “And it felt like I had a big weight on my chest and my sides hurt.” He paused for a moment, “It was as if some strength was being sucked out of me, my energy slowly being siphoned.”

“But you remember **now**.”

“Yes. I believe the force that was preventing me from doing so ceased.”

“Okay… And you didn’t say anything about the pain because…?”

“I thought it was something personal and I didn’t want to worry you.”

“Well that’s convenient and a bit late.” GunEagle commented drily.

Zero chose to ignore the younger gundam, “I’m certain it had to do with my encounter though, especially after hearing _kibou hoshi_ ; I’ve heard it before.” He knew that this moment was the vital time where he told all. “I didn’t say before, but when I disappeared and you couldn’t find me I apparently landed in another dimension.”

Shute startled, eyes wide. “What!?” The brown haired youth glanced at Captain.

“I did observed unknown matter radiating around Zero when he returned. I gave this information to Juli but she couldn’t come up with anything until now.”

Zero nodded, “I ended up in a space between dimensions, a place **between** the Minov Boundary Sea and a dimension. Not even a space, an existence? It is something that even I cannot fully comprehend: the No-Man's-Zone; but I believe I managed to meet the voice who has been calling out, though it didn’t recognize me.”

“Are we going somewhere with this?” GunEagle muttered, waiting for the action. He could stand around for briefings and even file a report but long stories never really held the rookie’s attention, unless they were about battles and his heroics. He was the only one allowed to beat around the bush, namely when giving details of his exploits.

Bakunetsumaru shot GunEagle a look. There was no stopping the rookie.

“Either way,” Zero continued, closing his eyes to help him suppress the anger pulsing in his head, “the recent encounter improved my recollection.” The knight shifted his teal eyes to each of the SDG members. “I was warned of an evil on Kendra that is threatening to come here to Neotopia, possibly even my dear Lacroa and Bakunetsumaru’s Ark. A fiendish tyrant terrorizes them and plans for more victims.”

“Like the Dark Axis and Kakeru?” Shute thought instantly of the evil General Zeong who almost destroyed all the known dimensions and of the dictator of Kaon who had almost wiped out the original inhabitants. They had just gotten over an invasion a few months ago, couldn’t they just live in peace like before?

Zero nodded, “Yes, and they are in direr need of our help. The planet has already frozen over due to the tyrant's work.” A look of pained familiarity was in his eyes, “I am not sure how many survivors there are, just that time is running out and we are needed.”

“There’s no way I’m letting any fiend sink his claws into my homeland!” Bakunetsumaru had his hands resting on his twin katana swords. “I’ve fought for years to have it freed and no random villain is going to swoop in and seize it. Let’s go!”

“Well, you heard, him, what are we waiting for?” GunEagle took a step forward, “Let’s get going or should I pack my bags? I do have a lot of weapons I can bring…”

“I agree with Bakunetsumaru and GunEagle but there is a problem.” Captain stated, “We have no idea how to get there.”

Just when Shute was starting to feel better, his heart dropped, “That’s right. The Zakorello Gate is not here right now and the DTD needs a dimension frequency to lock onto; also it’s been under maintenance! Who can say for sure it'll get us to Kendra?”

Juli nodded, “I can’t identify the dimension's frequency and even Bellwood is having a hard time. Without an exact location we'd be risking landing in a wrong dimension or being lost in the dimensional divide. We don’t want to chance an early happening of what Madnug experienced. Reliability is the big question.” 

She reminded everyone of what was to happen in the future unless an alternate timeline was established. No one wanted to experience what the unfortunate Madnug had gone through, lost in time and space before being brainwashed. The thought alone was scary. “I'm not even sure we have the technology to reach the planet otherwise we might be facing a signal jamming system. That may be why Zero bounced into that space between dimensions and the Minov Boundary Sea.”

“Also we must be certain it is not a trap like with Kaon, but I believe since Zero has made contact multiple times now, and given our recent visitor, we can surmise it is not.” Chief Haro interjected, his voice serious. “We must be wary of this villain however. But the present issue is assured dimensional transportation to Kendra.”

A sense of gloom descended on the group even more. 

“Wait! Rele!” Shute looked at Zero with hope in his eyes, “She teleported us back to Neotopia. She can do it for Kendra, right?” 

“The Princess does possess magical powers that far surpass mine, but she needs the Great Sorcerers’ aid for dimensional teleportation. Even then there’s no guarantee, plus she and the Sorcerers would have to be where we are. Alone, it took her much time to summon Fenn during our battle with General Zeong. Now time is of the essence.” 

The memory of the Sacred Spirit was bittersweet. The Feather Dragon had disappeared after aiding in the battle though Zero could distantly feel Fenn’s presence. There was a slim chance they would reconnect as the legendary beast's role was over. 

Even on Kaon the beast did not lend aid as he was roaming free in another dimension. Zero would have to fight with his power alone. 

“But how did you get back from that No-Man's-Zone? Did the person you met there send you back?” Juli asked, tapping her fingers in thought.

“Yes, but their energy was fading. They could barely hold their form in that place, it seemed like perhaps an astral projection. I don’t think I would be able to reach them again; even if I could, I doubt they have enough strength to teleport us to Kendra.” Zero touched his chest’s orb once more, remembering the strange feeling that had been there since he had connected through the caller in his dreams, now knowing its source. “I don’t think we have time to go through there to the Minov Sea to find Kendra.”

“We can’t just sit here! What are we, sinking ducks?”

“Uh, Baku, I think you mean **sitting**.” Shute corrected, taking humor at the error.

“Well, that too!”

Silence fell over the room like a damp blanket; everyone looked tense and unsure. GunEagle was busy cracking peanut shells that he had found laying around somewhere, imagining them as the future foes he would take down. Shute was fidgeting, glancing at Captain at times in hope that the military gundam would come up with a solution. Bakunetsumaru had a serious look as he tried to think of something.

After a few moments Chief Haro spoke, “I believe we should take a break and meet back in a few minutes. Hopefully we’ll come up with something then.” He put a hand on Zero’s shoulder as he turned to leave the room, “Don’t worry, Zero. I’ll have the whole staff on it. All our resources will be spent on finding a quick but safe way to reach Kendra. The SDG doesn’t turn its back those in need. If it comes to it we will have to chance using the DTD to dimension hop, but I won't put any of our members at risk.”

Zero said nothing, just nodding his head at the chief’s words.

“Come on, Zero. It’ll be okay, we’ll think of something! I’m sure of it! We always do!” Shute tried to sound cheerful though he had doubts himself. Options for transport were nothing but a sliver with no Zakorello Gate visiting, the DTD currently undergoing maintenance, and Rele in another dimension. 

“Yes, but will we be in time?” Zero turned to look at Shute with despair in his eyes, “I fear I might have delayed too long... again. Now every minute slipping by here can be hours, days, weeks over there.”

“Zero…”

“I’m sorry, Shute.” His gaze was downcast, “I need some space to think.” The Winged Knight turned and floated out the automatic doors, leaving Shute and the others behind.

*~*~*

**A few weeks ago…**

_“-se… Please… someone… hear my call. Please… Oh, Ami…”_

Zero blinked sleepily as a voice echoed through his CPU, jarring him from his nighttime stasis while visiting Neotopia. “Hm? Hwms daher? Who are you?”

_“I… I am a voice calling out in despair. Please, heed my plea and warning.”_

“Warning?” He replied groggily, “What do you mean, warning?”

_“There is an evil on my planet… my home world of Kendra…. We are of a magic sort of gundam who live mostly in peace with our various arts. However there is a dark ruler who threatens us all, and even your world too.”_

“What? What are you talking about? Who are you? What’s your name?” He was starting to awaken more now, the faint buzzing in his circuits beginning to fade.

_“M-my name…”_ There was static, _“-it belongs to the sky, to the heavenly bodies above. I am captured by… tyrant… My strength is slowly being drained. I am blessed to have made a connection with you… You have a strange presence… what is your class?”_

“Class? Err, I suppose you mean knight gundam?”

“Kishi? _A knight_?” The first word sounded foreign to Zero, perplexing him though he assumed it was a native word. _“A knight that can use magic powers then? Even a spirit or summon of some kind.”_

Zero startled at the accurate assumption, “Yes, I have a pact with Mana, the force dwelling around and within all living creatures. I am Zero, the Winged Knight of Lacroa. I am also the chosen one of the Sacred Spirits, the Feather Dragon.”

_“That can explain the connection then… your Mana and my Ki… no one else has heard me… I am focusing most of my energy to relay this message but I had almost lost hope. Even the stars seemed to have lost their brightness… until I connected with you.”“I think you’re the one who can help us, help save this now frozen planet from the tyrant whose soul it reflects. You are the brightest light in the dark, the shining star in the sky. You are our star of hope. The Hope Star._ Kibou Hoshi.”

“Well, I am the Savior of Lacroa but I think I’ve fulfilled all my prophecies…”

_“Have faith! Surely you are or I would not have connected with you… and doom would fall upon many a dimension and planet without warning.”_

“But-”

_“Nngh!”_ A grunt of pain rippled through Zero’s CPU, _“I’m sorry... I can’t maintain any more focus. The pain is getting worse and my strength is leaving.”_

“Wait! Wait! How am I supposed to find you? Or why should I even believe you? This could be some trick, a trap! Truly it could even be a dream.”

_“This will be just a dream and nothing else if you do nothing! Then it’ll become a nightmare… living nightmare.”_ Another sound of pain escaped the alleged magical gundam. _“I’m… slipping… focus… I’m not sure if I’ll be able… to connect... with you again… or remember… He might block me… Or even try to interfere with you. It’s dangerous to hold a connection for this long…”_

“Wait? Who? What? Who will interfere? Your tyrant?”

_“Yes. The one of nightmares. The false king. A demon. You most not let him cloud your mind! You mustn’t!”_ The voice was fading now, _“Remember, Zero.”_

“Remember? Wait!”

_“Look to the stars…”_

Zero blinked in confusion as the voice suddenly ceased, leaving him wide awake and bewildered by what had transpired. “What just happened, was it even real? Kendra? Kibou Hoshi? Was I dreaming?” The knight rubbed his head as the tingling in his circuits started to fade. “I have to tell the others.”

Just then a new voice came to him, deeper and more soothing though there was something menacing behind it.

_“Sleep…”_ The voice echoed in Zero’s head and he tried to resist but it the sensation started to creep over him. _“Sleep in unsuspecting slumber… Do not pay heed to that voice in the dark calling. It is all just a dream…”_

“You’re wrong, it’s not a dream! You’re trying to make me forget!” The knight gundam tried to summon his strength so he could warn the others before his memory circuits were wiped. “Release me, fiend! Mana! Come-”

_“SLEEP.”_ The voice became sterner now and a force seemed to be holding Zero down on the spot, silencing him. _“You will forget as if a fog has descended upon you. Lost in the fog, you will not recall. You will not be a hindrance to me. You’ve heard nothing, you will remember nothing of this event.”_

“No…” Zero tried in vain to fight back but instantly was overtaken by sleep, recollection of what had just happened fading away as his processors slowed down, his memory banks shutting down sections. “Just… a dream…”

_“Yes… _Oyasumi nasai, dare mo.” The voice hissed, laughing as it faded away, leaving the Winged Knight passed out once more, unaware of what’d happened.__

____

*~*~*

“Grah!” Zero let out a frustrated sound, smacking his hand against the railing. The knight gundam stood outside of Ground Base with the recent resurfacing memories as his only company. Such dreams had been happening for weeks on and off; he had forgotten all them until his encounter in the unknown dimension. Each time he dreamed of a faint voice calling for help he would start to remember, but the unnamed tyrant would swoop in and snuff Zero’s memory, commanding forgetfulness.  


However Zero remembered everything now, even the brief conversation he’d had with the distressed voice the first time. 

“I was too weak to resist him!” He told himself bitterly, frustrated at succumbing to the villain's will, “Thanks to my weakness, precious time has gone by and for all I know is that Kendra could already be doomed.” Zero paused for moment. “No, I don’t have time to wallow in the past. I have to find a way to Kendra. Even if a lot of damage has been done, I have to help fix it!” Determination reflected in his eyes as he gazed up at the sky.

“Zero! Zero!” 

The Lacroan gundam turned to see Shute rushing toward him. “You have to come quickly!” The human boy called out, panting, “We’ve found a way to Kendra!” 

“What?” Zero spun around, a look of shock and disbelief now in his eyes. Surely it had only been a few minutes, or had he daydreamed far longer than five?

“A new portal is starting to open; it might be your friend’s doing!”

“Or a trap from that fiend if he knows we’re onto him... But it may be our only chance and fastest way to get to Kendra.” He looked serious, hurriedly floating past Shute. “Either way, I’m taking it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations: 
> 
> Ja ne // later  
> Oyasumi nasai, dare mo… // Goodnight, nobody.  
> \----  
> Credits:  
> Kaon © PumpkinaChai


	4. Operation: Rescue! Journey to Kendra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gundam Force travels to the planet Kendra in hopes to free Zero's mysterious contact and savior. Upon arrival they're met with an chilly reception, finding themselves stuck underground in ice chambers. What will they encounter in the maze of ice while looking for a way out? Friend or foe?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original version of this chapter was posted in 2009 on Mediaminer as #5 but has since been updated and renumbered.
> 
> You can read the PDF version of this on my deviantart [here](http://fav.me/dccqt6o)

[ ](http://fav.me/dccqt6o)

Zero stood firm before the hole that was crackling before him. Its size was fluctuating slightly as colors inside of it swirled. The Winged Knight’s gaze hardened; even if it was a trap, he had to go. He had failed with being swift on going as aid to Kendra—something that horribly reminded him of what’d happened with Lacroa. 

“There was a small rip in the dimension which I was able to lock onto and expand, but it’s been like this for fifteen minutes now. I’m trying to stabilize it so it won’t disappear and make it bigger so you can get through.” Bellwood quickly explained, the dark skinned teen rapidly checking the readings that appeared on the screen. “Talk about lucky it appeared so close to the DTD and my station but it was almost invisible.”

“I am a genius for being able to find it, but even I don’t know how long it’ll stay open. That is, I don’t know when I will be able to get you back or if I can. The magical interference for dimensional transportation is astounding. Random portals could open and close at any time, leaving you stranded.” He looked up at Zero as he kept typing, “Are you sure you want to go? The DTD’s maintenance should be done later today.” 

“I have to go now, I cannot afford delaying any longer. It is my duty to help those in need and right now I am called for on Kendra. On my honor as a knight, I must help.”

“Yeah, well, just don’t get stuck there! Would hate to be rash.”

“I am flattered by your concern. Thank you.”

“Yeah, well, just don’t get stuck there! Would hate to be rash.”

“I am flattered by your concern. Thank you.”

Bellwood glanced up at Zero, not sure if it was sarcasm or the Lacroan gundam was being sincere. After a moment of grave silence, the genius spoke again. “Alright, I have a pretty firm lock on the source. Only problem is **where** you'd end up. The portal could be over a deep ice cavern which you'd fall into, becoming an ice sculpture!”

“Thanks for your optimism and mental picture.”

“Just trying to help.” Bellwood grinned, trying to be humorous though he took his job very seriously. He kept tapping keys and checking the energy levels of stabilization. “I mean after all you did say the planet was frozen.”

“Zero! Wait up!”

He turned to see Shute running towards him with Captain, Bakunetsumaru, and GunEagle by his side. Zero had left so quickly he’d beaten everyone else. “I cannot. I must go before it's too late. I'm sorry but this is something I have to do, even without the Force’s help. I understand you are needed here and it’s too risky.”

“N-no... We-we're coming with you.” Shute huffed as he regained his breath. Curiously he was wearing pants opposed to his usual shorts. “You’re not going alone.”

“As a fellow member of the SDG, it is my duty to assist you in your quest.” Captain stated matter of fact, adding sincerely, “But it is also because you're my friend.”

“Yeah, who knows what trouble you will get in over there? I'll just have to bail you out as always.” Bakunetsumaru joked, giving a friendly pat to Zero.

“But what about Entengo?” Zero asked in surprise, knowing Bakunetsumaru's feelings on the subject.

“I hate the thought of being separated from him but I do not think taking my beloved and loyal steed to an ice planet would be wise. Juli promised she would care for him personally.” The musha shook his head sadly. He hated parting with Entengo, but Zero had helped him countless times so it was his turn to lend aid as a friend and warrior.

“And GunCanine?” Zero looked to Captain, noting the absence of the gundam wolf.

“He is still undergoing some tune-ups and modifications. Though, he did not seem happy about being left behind when I told him. He would have to be outfitted for the frozen conditions so it was regrettably unavoidable since we don’t have the time.”

“Yeah, I'm all prepared, just in case.” Shute nodded, holding up a sizable backpack. “This has supplies for winter weather. Also look,” The boy pulled out a red jacket with fur lining the hood, “It's a snow jacket! Perfect for keeping warm in the freezing cold!”

“And I'm all done with my packing!” GunEagle interjected, sounding excited. “Maintenance check as well as the latest arsenal of brand new doodads from Chief Kao Lyn. Plus my beam rifle got a pretty good power boost though it's already a knock out. I bet it could carve a nice hole in a glacier! Dude, probably **ten** glaciers!”

“ **You're** coming too?” Zero felt a bit skeptical though GunEagle was an amazing warrior. However the knight wondered about the aerial gundam’s usual charge and if he had been given clearance to join the mission. “What about defending Neotopia?”

“Of course! Chief Haro assigned me to this mission! You do need an all-star along with you to save the day! As for Neotopia duty, GunPanzer and the GunChoppers can handle it! Have faith in those guys! I've fought along side them many times and they can take care of things themselves. I mean, I am an important fighting force of the team but I think they can handle my absence. It would be nice for some of the girls to see us off though... I don't know when I will be able to see their beautiful faces again. Besides, there’s **no way** you are leaving me out of the action! You need someone with my skills.”

Shute shook his head at GunEagle's babble and fluffing of his ego.

“Thank... thank you my friends.” Zero said after a moment, looking at the four standing before him, becoming emotional. Three gundams and a human boy; they did not seem like much compared to an army but they meant as much to him as his old Royal Knight comrades. 

“Zero.” The Winged Knight turned to see Chief Haro on the screen near Bellwood. “I sincerely wish you good luck. I apologize for not being there in person but I am sure you are now aware the Force will be backing you all they can. I have given orders to GunEagle to aid you on your quest. He in addition to Captain will be our connection to you in Kendra. Hopefully with the two of them there, we can establish come form of communication since the Gundamusai is unable to fit through the dimensional rift. I believe Chief Kao Lyn has added some sort of amplifying wave device to both of them.”

“I shall relay any information I obtain and record it in my database for further analysis.” Captain saluted Chief Haro, “You can count on me, sir.”

“Thank you.” Zero dipped his head in a bow to the head of the SDG.

“Uh, sorry to cut in but in about 10 seconds the portal will expand into an accessible size. I will try to keep it from fluctuating but you'll have to get through before it shifts again.” Bellwood interrupted, punching a button as stats on his screen changed.

“Alright!” Shute shouldered his backpack, quickly slipping into his thick jacket.

“Portal stabilization in 3, 2, 1!” Bellwood flipped a switch and the fizzling portal suddenly froze as it fluctuated to a large enough size to fit the gundams. It appeared to be struggling to shift against Bellwood's efforts, as if wanting to cave in.

“Last one in is a piece of scrap metal!” GunEagle ran for the portal with glee.

“Ah, hold on!” Shute started to sprint to gain a running start to jump through. His sizable backpack appeared to be weighing him down slightly as well as his jacket's bulk.

“Yee-haw!” GunEagle hollered, giving a quick salute to Bellwood and the video image of Chief Haro before diving into the portal.

“I sure hope it's soft, powdered snow!” Shute commented before leaping, shutting his eyes. The portal swallowed up the boy's figure, returning to the swirl of colors.

“As long as it is nothing like the Iwa Mountains on Kaon, I'm good!” Bakunetsumaru shouted as he took his turn jumping into the portal, the musha clutching his twin katana for mental support.

“Here we go!” Captain was next into the portal, leaving Zero as the last one in.

Zero looked at the fizzling portal, his determination strong. He would rescue Kendra, together with his friends. Just as the Wing Knight reached out his hand toward the portal, lights began to flash and the portal made an eerie noise.

“Quick! I am losing control!” Bellwood looked frantic, adjusting some knobs and punching in some commands on the keyboard. The sides of the open space were starting to move inward, as if eating itself into a far small at a gaining pace.

Not thinking twice, the knight leapt head first into the portal just as the stabilization device broke. As he passed through the hole in the dimension, Zero glanced back to see the portal closing itself, seemingly imploding. He could hear Bellwood's frantic shouts before the hole leading to Neotopia completely disappeared, but not before the sound of an explosion reached his audio receivers.

The next thing Zero knew he was hitting a rock solid substance and skidding across the floor. He quickly slid to a stop and sat up, feeling slightly embarrassed for his ungraceful entrance but more concerned with the issue at hand. Return through that portal was impossible and the DTD was possibly damaged from the nearby explosion. They were stuck on Kendra.

That is if they really were on it.

“Is everyone alright?” The Lacroan gundam asked, looking around for his companions, a touch of fear gripping him at the thought he might have become separated from the group.

“Yeah, but why am I the only one who skidded face first on the ice?” GunEagle grumbled coming into view, ice still clinging to his face and head ornament from his apparent ordeal. “It really hurts a gundam to use one of his best features as landing gear. I think I got road burn.” 

Zero kicked on his flight boosters so he hovered above the ground, something that would prevent future slipping. The Winged Knight cast his gaze around, taking in the sight of the icy floor as well as ice pillars. Taking note of some dangerous looking icicles dangling from the roof of wherever they were, he turned toward GunEagle, the rookie wiping off his face. “Where's the others?”

“Over here!” Captain called out, stepping into few from behind an ice pillar. “I was looking for Shute. Apparently he slipped upon entry, ending up in a snow bank.”

A bundled version of Shute came out from behind, giving a meek wave. “Hey...” He was now wearing gloves and earmuffs as well as snow boots. “I kinda thought it was best to add some more layers.” The brown haired boy nervously laughed, having gotten the notion after taking the plunge into the snow, “It was really soft though!”

“That's a relief.” GunEagle commented dully, his personality seeming to reflect his surroundings: dreary.

“Ah.... Where's Baku?” Shute asked, looking for some sign of the musha.

“Mrph! Mph mrr myrrp!” Came a muffled sound.

Everyone looked around to find the source of the noise. Zero was the one to spot it. “There!”

They rushed over to a large snow pile where the only evidence of the musha was his legs sticking out of the snow, indicating he had gone headfirst in. The red gundam kicked his legs wildly, trying to get loose. “Mmrph!”

“Gee wiz, Baku. You sure get your head stuck in a lot of things.” Shute sighed, feeling second-hand embarrassment due to the humiliating condition of Bakunetsumaru.

“Haha, and I thought I got it rough!” GunEagle chortled, his emerald eyes reflecting his amusement.

After a few moments, Captain and Zero, with the help of Shute, managed to pull Bakunetsumaru out of the snow pile.

“Gah! I've been here for less than five minutes and I already want to leave!” Bakunetsumaru grunted, shivering as he glared around, snow still lingering in parts of him armor. His circuits felt numb from the freezing substance. “I, the Blazing Samurai of Ark, should not have to put up with a frozen wasteland like this!”

“Aw, don't be a poor sport, dude!” GunEagle gave a hearty pat on the back to the fuming musha. He succeeded in knocking some of the snow out of the samurai's armor. “Hah, besides we've only just arrived.”

“GunEagle's right, but the question is where?” Shute looked around the large ice cave. “I mean at least we landed in somewhere with freezing conditions. Are we underground?”

“My sensors indicate we are on the planet Kendra, judging from the readings Bellwood was able to decipher from the portal's particles and send to me as well as calculating the gravitational pull and-.”

“In short, we are on another planet.” Zero interrupted, feeling the need for haste. 

“Yes.”

“But where is everyone? Where are we on this frozen planet?” GunEagle asked, exploring. “Any idea, Zero? Your guide say anything?”

“Unfortunately, my 'guide' did not give me a map when he told me about this place.” Zero replied dryly, examining his surroundings. “I have to rely on instinct.”

“Hey Captain, could you use your scanners to find the geological makeup of where we are? You know, like a 3D model. Perhaps there is a path we could follow.” Shute suggested, rubbing his arms to calm himself as well as keep warm despite his winter attire.

The military gundam appeared to be spacing out for a moment, his blue eyes staring forward. “Done. My readings indicate we should head left and upward as we are in an ice cavern of some sort. Everything is packed so tightly with ice that my sensors are unable to penetrate to tell if we are in fact a building or a solid rock cave, but I can detect shifts of density where tunnels must be. There is light filtering through somewhere as it is not pitch black. My calculations say there’s probably a light source up ahead.”

“Good! We can get warm!” Bakunetsumaru said eagerly, dancing around as he shivered.

“Hobey-ho, let's go!*” GunEagle suddenly spurted out, dashing in the direction Captain had indicated. “Last one there has to buy a quart of oil!”

Zero along with Bakunetsumaru blinked. “What?”

Shute smiled unsurely, semi embarrassed. “Something from a book I was reading and he saw.”

Bakunetsumaru shrugged, shaking his head while Zero sighed. Captain waited patiently by the passage to go through, tilting his head as his audio receptors tried to pick up and follow the sound of GunEagle's footsteps. The remaining gundams as well as the human then started after the leading GunEagle. 

It took only a few minutes to catch up to the enthusiastic gundam, having followed the directions Captain gave. The aerial gundam stood at the end of the tunnel that lead upward, it splitting to multiple paths.

“So Captain, which way?” GunEagle asked, waiting for the light blue military gundam's reply. “Oh, by the way, Bakuman, you owe me a quart of oil,” The rookie looked gleeful upon seeing the musha be the last one to arrive.

“It's Bakunetsumaru!” The samurai corrected, fuming that the younger gundam still messed up despite years of knowing each other as well as numerous corrections.

“Hah, I'm just playing with you, lighten up.”

“Not likely.” Zero murmured, rolling his teal eyes though his sensors prickled. The Winged Knight turned his head, looking towards one of the walls then the other. The Lacoran gundam looked at the others but they did not seem to notice anything.

Captain scanned once more, examining the tunnels as well as the walls. “Hm, it's hard to get an exact reading with an x-ray scan due to the density of snow and perhaps magic. However, I am picking up some solid formations which might be rock.”

“Meaning?” Shute asked, poking at the snow packed wall, hardly leaving a dent from where he had poked with his gloved finger.

“We appear to be in a structure of some kind.”

“A building!?” Bakunetsumaru looked hopeful, wanting out of the snow.

“More like ruins which have been covered over by thick sheets of ice.”

“When you say ruins, do you mean ruin ruins or a building with parts of it missing?” GunEagle asked sincerely.

Everyone stared at the rookie. 

“You know what? I think I actually know what he means.” Bakunetsumaru replied, the samurai inclining his head to think.

“I think I understand your logic, GunEagle,” Captain commented. “It appears to be a wrecked structure with parts missing but still whole enough as far as my scans go. I can't get any more readings. I suppose we will have to continue exploring.”

“Zero, is something wrong?” Shute suddenly asked, noticing the knight gundam's distracted behavior.

“Oh, it's nothing, Shute.” The indigo gundam turned toward the others who were now watching him. The Winged Knight shook his head. “I guess the weather is messing with my CPU. I am not used to this kind environment.”

“We're all a bit disoriented, Zero.” Bakunetsumaru replied, placing a hand on his comrade's shoulder. “Don't worry, I'm sure we can figure this out. We'll find and rescue your acquaintance, no matter what.”

That had been twenty minutes ago.

“Are we in a labyrinth or something?” GunEagle moaned, the usually spirited gundam suddenly looking bored and defeated as the group stopped at yet another fork in the path. “It feels like we've been going around in circles.”

“Let's hope it's not some crazy maze, like a labyrinth!!” Shute replied, dread filling him at the thought of being lost. “The original labyrinth was practically impossible to get out of as well as the fact that the monster called the Minotaur lived there.”

“Well, besides being stuck in a giant puzzle thing, what was so bad about the monster?” GunEagle asked, probing for some optimistic news. “Was it a monster for being nasty or simply being ugly?”

“It was nasty and it ate people.” Shute stated, looking pale for a second. “Though it was a mythical legend!” He quickly added, trying to cheer himself up after experiencing a self-inflicted negative thought.

“You have been reading a good portion of books, haven't you?” Zero inquired.

“Heh... Mom kinda drilled it into me to read a lot.”

“We're going to have a Captain Jr on our hands soon with all that reading he's doing.” GunEagle joked, giving Shute an affectionate, friendly nudge, regaining some of his cheerful spirit despite the group's traveling woes. “He'll be spouting out information like good ol' Captain in no time!”

“And you won't?” Bakunetsumaru asked dully, already anticipating the answer due to knowing GunEagle too well.

“Nah, I'm more of the action guy. Captain is called Captain for a reason. He gives the orders and thinks things out but can seriously kick some can!”

“I do not understand. My readings indicate more of the building’s structure before the pathways we take but after we go through them, it seems less.” Captain, not listening to the conversation, was trying to go over the information he had obtained and find the bugs. “I’m not obtaining new information.”

“Captain, do you think these tunnels could be affecting your scans? Kinda like going through a tunnel or bridge with a cell phone or radio and losing connection?”

“I suppose Shute but it's as if we never passed through or we missed a passage. And my scanners appear to be working at 100%.”

“I think it's the rocks.” Zero suddenly suggested, serious as he had been thinking. “They might be radiating a sort of magic which is causing a form of illusion. An illusion that impairs our sight as well as sensors.”

“Magic can do that?

“Magic has all sorts of properties, Shute. We are on another planet as well as dimension so it's possible. In Lacroa our source is Mana yet here I sense none of it except for my pact. There is a source of magic here but I do not know what it is. I am unfamiliar with this kind but from what I have witnessed so far, I do not doubt its capabilities.” The Knight crossed his arms as he thought, “We needed to find a way out of this maze fast. Time was dwindling as well as my contact’s energy, possibly their life.”

“You mean we're stuck here in these tunnels until we break the illusion from some stinkin' rocks!?” GunEagle looked exasperated, hardly deeming a chunk of earth a worthy, interesting opponent. How could you exchange banter with a **rock**?

“It might be the rocks or simply one of the enemy's defenses. It could be both with the enemy using a natural substance for his own purpose.”

“Or our poor luck.” Bakunetsumaru murmured, not liking the idea of being hindered by magic. Magic was of a sort that was a bit strange to him though Ark had its own form of magic he supposed. However, magic meant supernatural and supernatural included... ghosts. The samurai froze at the thought, his pupils becoming small. Dread and paralyzing fear surged through him. Were there ghosts here?

“Well we can't stand here all day! We have to try and find a way out.” GunEagle's tone was serious, though it held a feeling of 'duh, let's go' behind it. “Whoever we are trying to rescue might die while we're wandering around here!”

“GunEagle has a point.” Captain nodded, “But I cannot formulate a plan of how to get past the illusion to find the way out. I am unfamiliar with its components to devise a successful disruptor for the magic current.”

The group began to talk among themselves, trying to come up with a solution. GunEagle suggested shooting at the walls to find passages but Shute pointed out that might alert the enemy of their presence as well as cause a cave in. Captain commented they could retrace their steps but it would be considerable loss of time. Bakunetsumaru was still frozen from his ghostly thoughts though he stuttered, trying to say something.

Zero was thinking hard when he felt the odd prickling again. The Knight looked around, trying to spot the source but it remained unseen. Once more the others did not seem aware of it.

_“-is....this way...”_ Came a voice, so low it was barely a whisper.

Zero's head jerked, his teal eyes quivering. That voice...

It echoed in his head faintly, the Winged Knight nearly thinking it was his imagination until he felt a weak tug of magic on him; almost as if a thread had been given to him and all he had to do was follow it. Even if it felt like a hairline, the pull was there. He could sense the magic.

“Well we-uh, Zero! Where are you going?” GunEagle asked, breaking out of the group conversation, startled to see the knight walking past them with zoned out look on his face. Zero halted for a moment and then blinked, seeming to emerge from a trance.

“I know where to go.”

“What?” GunEagle stared at him blankly while the others looked confused.

“I know which way to go.”

“Are you sure?” Shute asked, knowing that if anyone had a clue which way to go after Captain's scientific calculations, it was Zero. The Lacroan gundam knew more about Kendra than any of them. In addition, out of the whole group, he understood the properties of magic and sensed it better, being a magic user himself.

Zero nodded, his teal eyes serious. “Yes. I can feel a magic current of some sort.”

“Lead the way, Zero.” Captain turned, giving a nod, showing his support.

“As long as we get out of this place, I'm good!” GunEagle waved his hand, waiting for Zero's instructions. “I'm down for Follow-the-Leader.”

The knight looked up at the ceiling for a moment, listening to the faint whisper. He felt the tug of magic on him, this time as if someone else was trying to move his body. Zero turned his attention back to the others as he turned, waving.

“Stay close. If you get separated, you might be swallowed by the illusion and continue being lost. The magic here is untamed.”

“Should we hold hands to prevent that then?” Bakunetsumaru asked sarcastically, though his question was partly serious. Shute snuck a glance at the samurai, the boy personally not disagreeing with the notion though he quickly shoved his gloved hands into his jacket pockets to appear unenthusiastic.

“If it makes you feel better.” 

“I am more into doing the whole rumba line, not that whole heartfelt level of things. If you guys were babes, sure!” GunEagle shrugged though the aerial gundam folded his arms across his chest showing that his hands were preoccupied. 

The two Neotopian gundams, the Ark gundam, and Shute quickly followed after Zero who was hurrying, yet gracefully setting an appropriate pace. He turned toward one of the new tunnels they had come upon and headed down it.

The small rescue party of SDG members kept close as they snaked through the maze of tunnels and small chambers that lead to more crossroads of tunnels. Zero showed no hesitation in what direction to take, smoothly choosing a direction.

As they advanced, the magic pull grew ever so slightly stronger upon the Winged Knight. Soon it was as if he **knew** where to go as if from a memory buried deep within yet with a foreign feeling as if it were not his own. Why the familiarity?

Finally the group arrived in a chamber larger than any of the others. However, there were no other tunnels to take. They were surrounded by ice walls on all sides except for the way they came in.

A dead end.

“Oh great, what now? I don't suppose someone packed a drill otherwise I guess we'll simply consult the **map** again.” GunEagle sarcastically exclaimed, not trying to be rude but the energetic gundam was getting tired of walking around, beginning to get some feelings almost like claustrophobia; he was not used to being stuck underground and longed for the open sky. With no action or flying he had to exert his excess energy by being overly vocal in order to compensate for his lack of physical exercise. “Things can't get any better!”

“GunEagle!” Shute hissed at the aerial gundam, knowing the rookie's manners and nature yet still shocked and embarrassed by the remarks.

“Zero, maybe you made a wrong turn.” Bakunetsumaru suggested to his comrade, watching the knight’s expression as he stared at the wall of ice before the group.

“No.... it's here.” Zero replied, his tone distant yet certain.

Captain appeared about to say something when the Lacroan gundam walked over to the ice wall. He stood there for a moment, his teal eyes trained on the obstacle. Slowly, as if something else was controlling Zero, he lifted his hand and pressed it against the wall. 

Nothing happened for a moment but then there was a small, bright light where Zero's palm touched the wall. A second later, his hand went though followed by the rest of his body. Zero disappeared, leaving no evidence that he had been there, the spot now vacant.

GunEagle's eyes bugged as Shute let out a cry of surprise while Bakunetsumaru sputtered, trying to find his voice.

“Z-Zero... He got vaporized!” GunEagle exclaimed, his imagination running away with him due to watching too many science fiction movies with aliens. His emerald eyes stared at the spot where the Winged Knight had stood moments before.

“He was spirited away!” Bakunetsumaru choked out, his superstitious beliefs overriding his logic processors.

“It appears we have stumbled upon some sort of magic forcefield. Or strong illusion.” Captain calmly stated, flicking his green scanner down over his eye. “I am receiving no readings on it except for some strange energy levels. I can logically conclude this is the way out.”

“Of course it is.” Shute laughed nervously, relieved that it was nothing serious, according to Captain. Where was Zero though? Was it safe on the other side? Had something happened?

As if hearing the boy's concerns Zero's head suddenly appeared, sticking out of the illusionary wall. This earned a high-pitched shriek from Bakunetsumaru, who was already just about at his wits end about magic. Ignoring the sound of alarm, the Winged Knight stepped through effortlessly, “Everything is clear on the other side. It seems the magic behind this illusion has no malice so we can pass through it safely. If it is dangerous magic, I have neutralized it temporarily. I suggest we move quickly before it stabilizes itself and the enemy notices us.”

“If they haven't already.” GunEagle murmured looking relieved at the sight of Zero yet shooting an amused look at Bakunetsumaru, noting the scream.

The samurai cleared his voice processor, looking very much embarrassed, his face turning a shade of red almost equal to his armor. “T-there's nothing wrong with being cautious and on guard,” He argued, trying to cover up his shameful moment as he regained his warrior's composure.

“Well, by all means then, ladies first.” GunEagle razzed, stepping behind Bakunetsumaru and giving him a strong yet friendly shove forward.

The Ark gundam was not prepared for the sudden momentum. He stumbled forward, trying to catch himself but ended up disappearing though the illusion. However, it was not without a startled yelp from the musha as he tumbled through, vanishing.

“I take it back. Things **are** getting better.” GunEagle laughed, his eyes showing his rediscovered happiness and humor. 

Zero simply shook his head and waited, “I will go last since there is a risk if I go though again I might cause a spike in the magic. I'd rather be last and seal the exit then trap some of you on one side.”

Captain stepped up. “I suppose I will go next. That way if we get separated at least GunEagle and I are on different sides of this magic barrier so we can hopefully maintain communications with one another.”

“That's Captain alright, so thoughtful and logical!” GunEagle remarked in sincere admiration as the senior military gundam's body was seemingly absorbed by the ice wall. A few moments passed and GunEagle looked at Shute.

“Hey, Shute, buddy. Why don't you go next?”

“What? Eh... uh.”

“It's perfectly safe, Shute. I am monitoring the flow of magic right now.” Zero responded, anticipating the human's fears. The knight gundam looked distracted for a moment as he monitored the magic current before flicking his teal eyes toward Shute. “You should be fine. Think of it like a different form of the Zakorello Gate.”

Shute nodded, feeling a bit encouraged but still went cautiously to the hidden gateway. Not sure how the magic would react to an organic substance the human boy carefully stuck his hand out, pointing his index finger at the fake ice wall. Inching closer and cringing to prepare himself, he stuck his finger into the ice.

A warm, surprisingly pleasant feeling raced throughout Shute as his finger disappeared. He could still feel his finger and wiggled it before pulling it back to the side he was on. It was still attached and felt normal. He scrutinized the invisible doorway, plucking up his courage before plunging his whole body though, shutting his eyes.

The warm, tingly feeling rippled through his body for a few seconds but then it was gone. Shute slowly opened his eyes to see that he was now in a cavern unlike the previous ones. In fact, it seemed more like a room. A room **made** out of ice, complete with decorative carvings and pillars.

Captain was talking to Bakunetsumaru who did not look humored about being the first one on the other side, cut off from the others while on a strange planet. He had some pieces of ice clinging to his shoulder armor, suggesting that once more the samurai had landed headfirst. His brown eyes lit up when he saw Shute, glad to see the boy was safe.

“Whoa!” Came GunEagle's voice as he stepped out of the illusionary wall. On this side the entrance to the ice tunnels looked like a large mirror, rippling like water around the emerging person until they fully emerged, leaving its surface smooth and untouched. Zero was a step behind GunEagle, the knight looking somber.

“Zero, where are we?” Bakunetsumaru asked, eyeing the ice room as he brushed his shoulder, knocking the ice off.

“I assume we must be in a palace or fortress. I'm not certain as I have no idea about the governing system of this planet, if they have palaces or not. It is possible we have arrived in the enemy's stronghold.”

“What!?” Bakunetsumaru gaped. “So we just got tossed into the enemy's hands!?”

Shute looked perplexed at the comment, mulling over the intended meaning. The musha probably meant fallen into the enemy's lap or into the enemy's grasp. Either way, Zero's words were not good news.

“So.... we’ve just got to fly under the radar until we find whoever was calling for help, right? Then we can come out with our guns blazing and take down the enemy!” GunEagle looked excited at his interpretation. “It'll be a breeze! Rescue the poor folk while defeating the evil boss, I am down for it!”

“We have to be careful.” Captain stated in a low voice, his blue eyes alert, “The percentage rate of reverberation in this room is 69.63% higher than the ice maze. I suggest we move on quickly before our presence is discovered.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“But which way do we go?” Shute asked in a strained whisper, glancing at Zero to check if he had received instructions through his magic link.

Zero nodded his head forward. “I am sensing something from that direction.”

The small rescue party followed Zero as quietly as they could. They made their way down a narrow hallway where they were forced to walk one by one. Shute shivered, gripping his arms as he looked around the corridor. Everything was so... bleak. It was as if there was no life in the place at all. It gave him the willies to see such a desolate place. It was almost like petrified Lacroa.

The hallway lead to others as well as some rooms but Zero kept the direction forward, ignoring the side passageways. When the hallway ended, it lead to another large ice room, only this one was filled with icy pillars and some that appeared to be snow and ice boulders, presumably being chunks of the ceiling that’d fallen. This room however seemed more inhabited by the others, some how being brighter.

Zero floated into the room, casually looking about.

“Whoever built this place did not have much of an imagination.” Bakunetsumaru remarked, frowning at the repeated framework and room design. 

Somewhere down the hall, a gust of wind found itself within the corridors and let out a low howling sound. The musha jumped, becoming ridged as the wind blew; it sounding like a ghost's moan. “Uh... uh... I sure hope whoever lived here is long gone.” He said nervously, hinting that if there were any spirits about they should disappear.

Shute and Captain stuck close together, the military gundam taking readings of everything while the human boy was nervous, wanting company. However Shute silently examined the area, making mental notes so he could later write down what he'd seen.

GunEagle was amusing himself by making faces at his reflection in the shining, slick pillars made of ice. He waved his hands around, letting out a low chuckle. “No need for mirrors here!” The aerial gundam the flexed his arms as if admiring his muscles. “I look good in anything's reflection.”

Finishing up with his self-amusement, the young Neotopian gundam started to walk away, his gaze was still on the reflecting ice. He began to turn though it took a moment for his emerald eyes to shift toward where he was heading. As soon as GunEagle was looking where he was walking and paid attention to what he was seeing, he let out a yelp. “Bwaaahya!”

Shute spun around to see what had caused the easygoing gundam to utter such a noise. Captain stopped his study of the ice formations hanging from the ceiling. Zero turned sharply as well, his attention taken away from his magic honing feeling.

GunEagle was pointing at a wall of ice, “I see dead people! Er, things!”

“What!?” Bakunetsumaru exclaimed, a shocked and terrified look in his eyes. The musha was gripping his twin katana swords though he was tense and still slightly trembling from his phobia of ghosts.

The wall of ice GunEagle was pointing at had frozen within it strange looking aquatic creatures as well as fish. Some looked like dolphin creatures, others of dragon kind but most were simply so alien it boggled the mind.

“A-are they dead?” Shute asked, his green eyes huge and round as he gaped at the new discoveries.

Captain stepped closer, scanning the frozen creatures. The light blue military gundam examined them closely. “No. It appears they have gone into a form of suspended animation for their bodies to survive the cold. They all still have a heartbeat, though it is faint. It is possible for them to stay alive for a while longer. However, since it possible they have never experienced this environment before, they may enter a delayed shock state and die if Kendra does not return to its former state within enough time.” 

The Neotopian gundam looked more of the creatures over and even began to investigate the ice around them. “By the molecule make up and setting of the ice, it does not appear like an immediate freeze, a super freeze, which would have instantly killed them. The formation of the ice was quicker than by natural standards, but not enough to cause shock to the body as well as freeze their organs. Their molecular structure does not seem harmed.”

“Can't we help them?” Shute appeared pained as he looked at the strange, yet interesting creatures. Thought of them dying and being unable to aid them was horrible. Surely they were harmless wildlife. “No one deserves this surely unnatural fate.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble little guy, but I don't think we have a large enough fishbowl for all of them.” GunEagle replied, edging closer to the seeming wall gallery of frozen aquatic creatures. “Besides, being fish type creatures, they can endure it a bit more right? I mean there was a documentary on TV which had salmon being frozen in a lake for the whole winter, in a kind of hibernation; though I flipped the channel and didn't see the rest of it.” The rookie gundam murmured the last part of the sentence, though he gave Shute a reassuring pat on the head. “We just have to hurry up and fix this planet!”

“Oh... oh, ho... haha.” Bakunetsumaru laughed nervously, relieved that the cause for alarm was frozen fish. It was still creepy but nothing the musha couldn’t handle. As he turned away, laughing to himself, he came face to face with a strange block of ice. The Blazing Samurai of Ark froze for a moment only to let out a shriek, his pupils growing small as he began to tremble. “G-g-ghosts!!”

Captain walked over bravely to where Bakunetsumaru was standing, knowing logically there was no such things as ghosts except for magical spirits who seemed to exist despite scientific reason that they shouldn't. His blue eyes stared at the block causing Bakunetsumaru distress. The surface was fogged over and frosted with snow. Something was inside though its image was warped and distorted in an optical illusion.

Captain wiped his hand across the surface, scraping away the obscuring substance. The military gundam stared for a moment before blinking his eyes. “Why, it's Grappler Gouf!”

Sure enough, frozen inside was the light blue Axian robot. He appeared to be shocked, his lone pink eye staring forward. His clawed hand was raised, as if he were cowering from an incoming blow. The blue robot showed no sign of being conscious and seeing the group before him.

“What madness is this?” Bakunetsumaru asked in a quaking voice, recalling the strange earlier battle they had fought against the Axian trio. They had acted strange then, cryptically so. Were they not the real things? If they were was this Grappler before him some sick joke of a statue? Or was this the real Grappler? If that was the case, how did he end up on Kendra?

While Captain and Bakunetsumaru stared at the frozen Grappler, Shute walked closer to one of the large boulders of ice near him. He stood for a moment, looking curiously at it. He then swept his gloved hand across the surface, like Captain, giving better clarity. The human boy's green eyes grew wide as the sight astonished him.   
“Captain! It's Zapper!” Shute stared, pointing to the burgundy robot frozen within.

“Where's the large one?” GunEagle asked, referring to Destroyer Dom.

Zero floated over to a couple of the boulders, looking them over. He stopped at one of the particularly larger ones. “Here!” He brushed the curtain of snow off, revealing the largest of the Axian trio. The large purple and black robot's red face looked blank, lacking the surprise his comrades had. “The Zako Soldiers are here as well!”

“We have to help them!” Shute exclaimed, looking at the frozen figure of Zapper Zaku as well as the others. He was unable to free the aquatic creatures from their icy prison but this was going to be different. “Captain, we have to get them out of those!”

“Uh, didn't they try to **kill** you guys earlier?” GunEagle asked, scratching his chin, looking at his companions. “Whose to say they aren't going to try again? For all we know, they could have gone back to their old Dark Axis ways. Not that I wouldn't mind kicking their cans like old times since I missed out...”

“No way!” Shute argued, though some doubt nibbled at his confidence. “Even if we fought earlier, something was not right; they weren't themselves, I know it! I mean, they were our allies before! Back when we fought General Zeong and on Kaon against Kakeru and the clones too!” The human boy pointed to the imprisoned robots. “We can't leave them like this!”

“Sure, they will be like the fishies.” GunEagle shrugged, not sure if taking on extra baggage was smart. If the trio had gone back to their old ways, they would put up resistance, causing attention to be drawn to where they were. If the robots were beaten, they would have to be taken along as prisoners, causing the rescue party to slowdown as they could not leave them alone on a strange planet.

“Captain!” Shute's tone was urgent, pleading with the light blue military gundam.

“Shute's right. Even if they attacked us earlier, we can't leave them. Perhaps they can give us an explanation for their behavior.” Captain said after a moment, looking set on his discussion. “I do not believe they can last in this condition for much longer due to the cold negatively affecting circuitry. Calculating the time of encasement if it was right after our battle, based on the density of the ice and lifespan of the ice molecules....”

“Okay, but the question now is how do we get them out? I don't suppose anyone has a light,” GunEagle asked, adding a quick joke though his question struck a valid point. “I don't suppose **shooting** the ice to pieces would work?”

“Violent force is ill advised. It is possible the ice has frozen their molecules, causing them to be in a fragile state. Sudden pressure could cause them to shatter.”

“I brought some flares in my backpack!” Shute hurriedly shrugged off his backpack and pulled out four of them. “Would this be enough?”

“Hm, as a starting point yes, but unless you have many more the time it would take to melt with such small sources could take hours that we do not have.” Captain pondered, looking the flares over. “We would need a large heat source that could cause instantaneous thawing.”

“Baku, you can use your Tenkyoken, right?” Shute looked at the musha.

“Ah, I'm not sure if my attack would be the best solution.” Bakunetsumaru responded, still recovering from his scare. “I suppose I could call upon the Sacred Arts if I had too.”

“Please tell me you brought an ice chisel or axe.” Shute looked at GunEagle and Captain. “That has to be okay to use without any risk!”

“Hm, I do believe Chief Kao Lyn did install similar equipment but such methods might not be good for their uncertain fragile state.” Captain remarked, still studying the Axians' frozen forms. “I advise caution though we cannot waste time.”

“We have to do **something**!” Shute looked even more distressed, clutching his flares. “Maybe I can just leave my flares and they’ll thaw out on their own.” He hurriedly uncapped a flare and struck the cap against the tube, igniting it. With a flare now lit he rushed over to the nearest encased robot and laid the flare next to the ice before doing the same for the other two. The ice sizzled and steam appeared as the flames burned.

“Careful, Shute. Flares ignite at 376 °F and burn as hot as 2,900 °F.” Captain cautioned.

“I know but I have to do something. Even if somehow they’re bad again they still helped us in the past, I cannot ignore that.” Shute insisted as he grabbed another flare and fixed it on the side of the block that had the Zako Soldiers encased.

Bakunetsumaru was silent before letting out a sigh though his brown eyes reflected a solid resolve. “I'll do it, Shute. I can at least try to see if it works. The sacred flames should be able to burn though anything, but I cannot be sure of the bots’ state after.” 

The musha felt a flicker of courage that summoned power as he placed his hands on his sheathed twin katanas. He could do this. He was a trained warrior, an honorable samurai and war hero; the one chosen to be the Blazing Samurai and the owner of the Bakushin armor. 

He was Bakunetsumaru. 

“Everyone, gain some distance.” The Ark gundam waved his hand back before gripping his sword handles, taking up a position so all the frozen forms were directly before him. “I'm not sure how things will go in this enclosed area along with all the ice and snow.” 

The others quickly followed his instructions, Shute looking on with concern and urgency written all over his face as he stood next to Captain. Zero and GunEagle took refuge against the opposite wall, knowing how strong the flames of Bakunetsumaru's attack could get.

“I, the Blazing Samurai of Ark, call upon the sacred flames which burn within me. Which set my GunSoul afire..,” Bakunetsumaru began, drawing his beloved katanas, feeling the fire within him growing, power starting to spread throughout his gundamium body. His GunSoul began humming gently as the red gundam lifted his swords, planting his feet in a traditional battle stance, moving his arms in a fluid grace as his twin blades drew circles. “Sacred Arts.... Bakunetsu... Tenkyoken!”

Flames erupted forming a gigantic fiery x as Bakunetsumaru slashed, performing his signature move. The blazing attack hissed as the ice within the room melted from the intense heat, causing steam to arise. The flaming x spun, slamming into the ice prisons.

The air hissed as the ice began to melt, the x still blazing as it drove itself into the blocks that held the frozen forms of the Axians. The intense light caused Shute to squint even through the goggles he’d put on as the light glared off the snow, blinding him.

After a few moments, the hissing stopped and the heat ceased. The human boy opened his eyes, an excited look on his face, anxious to see the freed robots.   
Though some thickness of the ice had melted, the Axians were still frozen. 

“It's... not enough.” Shute said after a moment, becoming downhearted as he looked at the still ice-encased forms as the flares flickered. Where they doomed to be stuck like this until Kendra was free? By then they might not be alive anymore.

“Don't give up so soon, Shute.” Bakunetsumaru encouraged, though he felt a flicker of disappointment himself, “Let me try one more time. It seems in this environment even the sacred flames need to be stoked.”

“This place is not caused by natural occurrence. It's mixed with magic, that's why your flames are not working as they usually do.” Zero quietly imputed, his teal eyes glancing around as he monitored the magic around him. “Normally it would work.”

“If only I had the Bakushin Armor... then my flames could burn bright and hotter than any other's!”

“Hold that thought!” GunEagle suddenly declared, his emerald eyes lighting up. “I just remembered, Chief Kao Lyn gave me a little do-hickey! Unfortunately it has limited use cuz it’s a prototype.” He reached around him, pulling something from between his wings, where he apparently stored items in a compartment. He held his hand out, revealing a tube, looking similar to his beam saber only bigger and having a trigger. 

“It's an extraction laser. I think... a laser used to extract things... is there such a thing? A flamethrower? Well, something heat based.” GunEagle shrugged, not sweating details, “Anyways, it wouldn't hurt to use it along with your attack, right?” 

“At this point I don't think I have much choice.” Bakunetsumaru felt slightly put off but knew now was not the time for pride. Lives were at stake. “But, does that little thing really have enough power?”

“Hah! Of course! This baby is mine and anything I own packs a punch! Chief Kao Lyn says it's a combination of laser technology and firepower. Literal fire power, haha.”

“Why didn't you say something before?” Zero asked dully, though he was not paying much attention as he tried to keep track of the strange magical presence he faintly felt that tugged at him to follow.

“My memory banks short circuited in that department.” GunEagle offered with ease, obviously unashamed.

“Like how they do with my name.” Bakunetsumaru muttered with some annoyance, though GunEagle seemingly still messed up his name as a joke.

“So, shall we dance?” GunEagle quipped as he raised the trigger-equipped tube. With his other hand he grabbed the barrel and pulled, extending it into a longer nozzle with a click. Raising the new weapon into the air, he began, “By the power of-”

“Don't start.” Bakunetsumaru cut off the nonsensical chant, rolling his brown eyes in exasperation. Gripping his katanas the samurai began his attack once more. “Sacred arts,” He gave a nod to cue GunEagle, “Bakunetsu... Tenkyoken!” 

“Burn, baby!” GunEagle gleefully aimed the gun and squeezed the trigger, unleashed a surprisingly large stream of fire. It blasted onto the ice blocks, washing over them like fiery waves. Meanwhile Bakunetsumaru's sacred flames from his attack joined the manufacture based flames, causing steam to envelope the room as it met the ice.

As the aerial gundam held the trigger to unleash the flamethrower he moved his thumb, clicking a button on the side. “Second serving!” Above and below the barrel of the gun, a light turned on. Within moments there was a humming noise and twin beams shot out, indicating the lasers were now functioning. Though in good humor, GunEagle was serious with his work. 

As he and Bakunetsumaru kept up the flames, the aerial gundam directed the laser carefully around the blocks of ice, shaving off the excess parts that encased the former lords and their Zako followers. Soon the sizes were reduced more to the outlines of the trapped robots, no more bulk of ice around them save a few inches. They now looked less like toys stuck in ice cubs and more like simply frozen figures.

After a few minutes, the prototype weapon let out a whining sound until suddenly it turned off. GunEagle's eyes widened for a moment, looking startled. “Ah, it broke.” The aerial gundam shook the gun, tapping it with his other hand. “I guess it really is a prototype. Too bad, I should have gotten warranty on it.”

Bakunetsumaru turned his gaze at the rookie for a moment, an alien fatigue starting to creep upon him. As he supported his attack, strength was beginning to leave him, much faster than it usually would during battle. There was definitely something up with this place.

“You can do it, Baku!” Shute cheered, worry poking at him. The Ark gundam was noticeably beginning to look worn down. “You're almost there!”

“I... can't... keep... it... going.” Bakunetsumaru strained, panting as he fought to keep the fire burning hot. His GunSoul was feeling faint as well, the pulses slowing. After a few more seconds, the musha was forced to cease the attack.

“I'm sorry, Shute. I couldn't keep... it up. There's... something... causing me to lose power faster.” He painted, feeling embarrassed and disappointed at the weakness.

“No! It's okay! Look!” Captain exclaimed, pointing to where the flames were dying down and the steam around the targeted area was beginning to clear. Everyone watched in anticipation as the last of the steam dissipated.

There before the SDG gang stood the dripping forms of Zapper, Grappler, Destroyer and a small band of Zako Soldiers. Around them were clumps of their once individual icy prisons. They all blinked in surprise, Grappler looked shocked for once, lowering his clawed arm.

“They're alright!” Shute cheered, relief washing over him like a warm summertime breeze as he took of his goggles. He would have jumped up and down in his excitement but his current attire weighed him down. Jumping could case him to lose his balance and flop over, reducing him to flail like a turtle on its back.

Bakunetsumaru let out a sigh of relief though he tried to regain some of his energy. He was going to need it to keep up with this mixed band of adventurers.

“Glad to see you fine robots are in working condition.” GunEagle slyly stated, though pride was in his voice at the sight of his successful handiwork of freeing them. “I don't suppose you'll refuse showering us with gratitude and apolog-”

“It's the gundams!!” Zapper exclaimed in shock, cutting off GunEagle, the burgundy robot pointing at their rescuers. He blinked his single pink eye as if not believing what he was seeing. However a moment later he shouted, “Get them!”

“I've been waiting for this moment!” Grappler’s eye glowed as he raised his clawed hand, eyeing Zero. The blue robot flexed the razor blade like fingers that appeared to have no problem moving despite having been frozen only a minute before.

“Dah ha! Squash them like a bug!” Dom laughed in his deep voice, towering over the others inside the room. He raised a fist, opening and closing it, “No weapons.” He tilted his head down, his eye glowing as he stared at the stunned gundams, “Me want my weapons to make puny gundams go boom.”

“W-wait! We freed you guys!” Shute stuttered, confused at the robot's abrupt hostility. Had they really reverted back to their old? “Can’t we talk about this?”

“Get back, Shute.” Captain moved in front of the human protectively, his hand outstretched. “It looks like we'll have to fight them though this room isn't suited for battle.”

“I guess make do with what we have!” GunEagle inputted, still holding his busted device. He looked ready to chuck it though his other hand was reaching for his beam rifle, which was mounted snuggly on his back allowing him to carry it with ease when not in use.

Zero looked alarmed but did not make a move to summon his Buster Sword for battle. Something was not right. The magic link tugged at him ever so slightly as if to urge him to follow, faltering for a moment. They did not have time for this foolhardiness.

The Dark Axis trio let out a fierce yell as they lunged at their opponents. Bakunetsumaru moved his katana blades to parry the attack of Dom, the large robot charging forward toward him. GunEagle jumped in the way, still holding the broken gun.

“Hey! Goliath! See how you like this!” With a shift movement he chucked the weapon at the largest of the trio. Not expecting such an attack, Dom did not try to dodge. Instead GunEagle's aim proved well formed as it hit the bot square in the head, causing him to falter for a moment, stunned.

“Bull's eye!” GunEagle exclaimed in glee, snapping his fingers.

The large robot stood there blinking, tilting his head. 

“Dah... what going on?”

Zapper who was lunging for Captain suddenly stopped. He stood in place for a moment, just a few feet away from the military gundam, blinking. “Ugh, my head.” He shook it, as if trying to rid himself of a bad headache.

Even the Zakos, who were known for becoming cowardly, had chosen to try to hold Bakunetsumaru down. They were hanging on him as he fought to get them off while others had managed to circle GunEagle, some attempting to attach themselves to the aerial gundam as well. The younger gundam easily dodged their attempts even without having to kick on his flight boosters.

The musha tried to shake them off but they clung onto him like leeches. A few even attached themselves onto his legs like a little child, rooting him to the spot. They suddenly stopped making noise, all of them simultaneously blinking. “Zako?”

“Hold on... wait a moment!” Grappler suddenly announced, his clawed hand still posed to skewer Zero. The blue robot stared, as if shocked at the sight of the knight gundam, slowly lowering his arm though still ready to slash at Zero. “Where in the cursed universe are we!? What’s going on?”

“I-I-I'm f-f-freez-z-zing, z-zako!” One of the Zako Soldiers sputtered as it shook from the cold, still wet from the melted ice.

“M-m-me t-t-oo, zako-o!” Cried another. Along with exclamations from the other little green robots, they ceased their hold on Bakunetsumaru who was speechless, not sure how to react.

“A-A-Ark wasn't t-t-this c-c-cold, zako!”

“Y-y-yeah, zako!”

For the next few moments the whole Axian crew appeared disoriented and confused. Zapper whacked his head a couple of times with his hand while Dom stared up at the ceiling, sure to have his mouth agape if he had one. The Zako Soldiers were all huddled together, shivering as they tried to warm up their circuitry. Grappler was as confused as the others but cared not to show it. Instead, his usually annoyed tone was replaced with fear and confusion, causing him to be more unpleasant.

“Now **why** in the Big Zam are we doing in a giant meat locker!? My circuits are freezing up and I'm **soaked**!” He snarled, shaking his clawed hand, causing the water to be flung off. Within seconds of touching the ground it reverted back to ice, demonstrating the freezing temperatures within the room as well as the mysterious magic's abilities. Grappler was silent for a moment, watching the water transform.

“You mean you don't remember?” Captain asked, truly curious but still standing protectively in front of Shute.

“Remember **what**!?” The blue robot snapped, his pink gaze shifting, glaring at the military gundam accusingly.

“Clearly **not** , Captain Obvious!” Zapper snapped still clutching his head, glaring at Captain as well however the burgundy robot let out a low, short moan. “I am having major memory board freeze! My processors are lagging.”

“They’ve always been lagging, you tin can.” Grappler snapped, brushing off excess ice that still found itself on his metal body. “That's why you're such a moron.”

“What did you say!?” Zapper growled, whipping to face his blue comrade. “As if you were ever capable of leading an invasion. Or an army for that matter! That's why Genkimaru left **me** in charge!”

“You!? You couldn't find your way out of a cardboard box! Even **D. Dom** could! Besides, the squirt gave the same job to all of us! We're supposed to be helping with reconstruction!” Grappler spat but crossed his arms, showing no intention to brawl.

GunEagle was a bit more relaxed, his hand away from his beam rifle but the rookie gundam kept his eyes on Dom, the large robot now checking out the frozen aquatic creatures in the wall. “Toto, you're not in Ark any more,” The younger gundam jest upon seeing the large robot's apparent astonishment. 

“Dah, where are we?” The purple and black robot asked, turning his red head to take in more of the frozen shapes.

“The planet of Kendra.” Zero simply replied, not seeing the need to withhold information, the magic link having disappeared for a brief moment. “An aquatic planet. The state you currently see is the result of a magic curse of sorts it would seem.”

“So you guys **do** remember about Ark and Genkimaru?” Shute took a cautious step out from behind Captain's protective form, looking at the fuming form of Zapper and the sullen Grappler the latter answering:

“Of course we do, you lame human. Now tell us what's going on around here and why we are stuck on some weird planet also starting with a 'k' like that last freak zone and why we're not back in Ark like we **actually** want to be!”

“But... you don't remember what happened before?” Captain slowly asked, switching his scanners to detect any trace of deceit in their voices.

“Before what!? Suddenly finding ourselves here, face to face with your bunch of goodie goodies and freezing our processors off!?” Zapper snapped, obviously irritable. “What are you nitwits babbling about? Are we missing something?”

“Well... actually..,” Shute began, proceeding to quickly summarize the past events, with inputs of details from Captain. After a handful of minutes, the human boy finished, watching the Axians with mixed interest.

A few moments of silence went by.

“So we tried to invade Neotopia, giving the impression it's the Dark Axis like in the old days, only to get our butts kicked, our memories wiped of the event and be found as frozen decorations, and then set free by some of the most annoying beings in the universe?” Grappler looked unimpressed, his mood darkening further. “Wonderful.”

“So you have no recollection of what happened before or after our battle?” Captain questioned, picking up no traces of deception. “It seems mind control is the most logical reason given your odd behavior during our battle and current lack of memory.”

“All I can remember is minding my own business in Ark and suddenly I am here in this tacky ice room with you gundams.” Zapper added, muttering, “and human.”

“You sure you didn’t happen to wander into a portal like last time?” Bakuntsumaru pried, noting how the Axian trio had ended up on Kaon.

“No!” The burgundy robot barked, “You think we’re dumb and didn’t learn our lesson about following strangers through portals?”

“Well…”

“Besides our seemingly alien abduction, how do we know you didn't simply botnap us and try to take us to Robo-House, making up the story and humiliating us while at it.” Grappler interrupted, doubt lacing his tone.

Captain did not look offended, instead pointing at Zapper. “When I was fighting Zapper, one of my bullets nicked his armor, the shoulder armor on his right arm. See for yourself.” The military gundam dropped his hand. “That has confirmed that we were indeed fighting you and not some magical imitations.”

“I would almost have preferred that.” Zapper mumbled to himself, moving his arm, seeing indeed the dent from one of Captain's bullets. He was tired of getting defeated by the SDG but was learning to get past that with his new life in Ark—as slow as that was going along with letting the deep grudge against Captain go. This time however he could blame the loss on the apparent mind control they had been under.

“So, what you're saying is that someone brainwashed us, set us upon your human infested world and called us back here before giving us icy hospitality?” Grappler eyed his former enemies suspiciously, still harboring resentment towards them.

“Sounds about right.” Shute nodded, though the boy knew the small band of ex-villains were not pleased to hear that. He shuffled his feet in the snow, hoping the robots would believe them.

“Dah, hard to believe.” Dom suddenly said, the large robot turning to look at his fellow former lords and the small band of Zakos. “No other choice.”

“What the big fella said.” GunEagle nodded in agreement, jerking a thumb at the robot. “You can believe us about your humiliating venture or you can stay here doubting us while we go save the world. Either way, we saved you, like it or not.”

“We don't have time to wait. They're free now so let them follow if they choose.” Bakunetsumaru replied as he stood straight, having been slowly recovering his stamina during this time. The samurai sheathed his sacred blades as the Axians were not a threat. 

“Our mission is to free Kendra, let us not forget that.” The musha looked over at Zero and gave him a reassuring nod. The knight inclined his head slightly to show his appreciation though his attention was immediately elsewhere once more. “But first we must continue our rescue mission.” 

“Agreed. We cannot afford delay much longer.” Captain informed the rescued band of Ark reformists. “Please state your choice.”

“I'm coming.” Zapper was the first to reply. “I want to get whoever botnapped us and used us like we were their puppets. I will **not** be extorted by some dishonorable villain! Not Sazabi, not Zeong, not those Kaon freaks who locked me up and tortured me!” The burgundy robot stomped his foot, pointing at himself, “The only one extorting me will be **me**! Someone’s got to pay!”

“Oh, just brilliant.” Grappler replied sourly, rolling his eye at Zapper’s idiotic logic. “Count me in, I suppose. No use wandering this apparent icy wasteland alone. Besides, I want to see just who it was who thought they could use us before putting us away for display after they were done!” The blue ex-lord flexed his clawed hand, imagining digging it into the armor of the one at fault. “Just don't be calling me a helping hand with your rescue operation.”

“Dah, I follow.” Dom chirped, cocking his head to the side, not needing to say more. Naturally the Zako Soldiers all agreed as well, seeing their leaders choosing to join the gundam rescue party.

_“Yo… here… Th-this... way...”_

A faint yet familiar voice called, echoing in Zero’s CPU. The magic tugged faintly at him like a little child pulling at an adult's arm for attention. The indigo gundam shut his eyes for a moment, trying to communicate back through his pact with Mana, directing his thoughts: Hold on, just a little longer. I'm coming.

“Hayaku... _H-hurry... ah-_ ”

The magic connection completely severed as the voice ceased, causing fear to be set loose like a massive bloom of Mmns inside of Zero. After a moment passed the magic link was back but it was barely a tingle, like the last leg of numbness, as if about to disappear completely.

“That settled, Zero, can you lead the way?” Captain asked, breaking away from the other conversation, his blue eyes settling on the pensive knight gundam. The Winged Knight caught the words, his teal eyes flicking back to look at the military gundam.

“Yes, the connection remains present but it's faltering.” The Lacroan gundam spoke solemnly, “I think they're dying.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Direct pop culture refs in case you missed them/didn't understand them:
> 
> Bobby PenDragon book series, Shall We Dance song, He-Man, The Wizard of Oz
> 
> -  
> Translations:  
> Hayaku // speedily; fast / hurry  
> \---  
> Credits: 
> 
> Kaon, GunCanine, Iwa Mountains © PumpkinaChai


	5. The Enemy’s Icy Threshold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having successfully rescued the captured Axians, the group continues their search. They make their way through the strange ice fortress on Kendra, following Zero as a magical connection leads him. Eventually they locate their target only to be met with multiple surprises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original version of this chapter was posted in 2011 on Mediaminer as #6 but has since been updated and renumbered.
> 
> You can read the PDF version of this on my deviantart [here](http://fav.me/dcdh4ru)

  
[ ](http://fav.me/dcdh4ru)  


“Do you think we'll run into the jerk who manipulated us while we rescue this... person?” Zapper asked as the burgundy robot walked along the icy hallways, not addressing anyone in particular. “I can't wait to introduce my fists to his face, though my guns would be more appealing.”

The Gundam Force, now joined with the recently rescued Axians, quickly made their way through the ice rooms and hallways, urgency to find the other captured individual still at hand. The robots lingered in the back of the group, conspiring vengeance, eager to lay their hands on the one who had captured and used them.

“Dah, weapons gone. Disappeared.” Dom bobbed his head up and down as he lumbered down the hallway, sounding sad though he made a point.

“What gets me is here we apparently had this boatload of weapons but now we have nothing.” Grappler looked suspiciously at the gundams, “I suppose I'm lucky to even have this.” The blue robot lifted up his clawed hand, giving a look that dared anyone to try to take it from him.

“Even you **gundumbs** are at the ready and stocked with weapons.” Zapper muttered, shooting a look at Captain, remembering the capabilities of the military gundam. Though he had never done battle with Captain in Option Z mode, Zapper knew it was sure to be a one sided battle and was jealous of the gundam's firepower.

“We're still not exactly sure why but my hypothesis is that the enemy is capable of mind control and mastery over illusions. Illusions so strong they become real—through magic that is.” Captain commented, turning his head to look at the trailing former villains. “Energy reading comparisons to ones I took of your weapons and the strange being who appeared in Neotopia seems to be similar.”

“Zero, how much further is it?” Shute asked gently, the Winged Knight's former words haunting him: I think they’re dying. He could tell the Lacroan gundam was getting antsy as well as emotional. He could not begin to imagine the responsibility Zero must be feeling. Still the knight should not blame himself for what happened, including the current condition of the captured informant.

“I am uncertain; I can only feel the pull.” The Winged Knight prayed silently, begging Mana to intertwine with the magic of Kendra to reinforce the connection long enough. “I suppose when the trail ends it'll be the destination or...” Zero did not have to finish for the thought crossed everyone's minds. 

“We'll make it, Zero.” Shute assured in a comforting tone.

“I pray this time I’m not too late.” Zero almost whispered, thinking of his lost Royal Knight comrades. He was too late to prevent their deaths, but not this time. This was a chance to prevent a similar incident and make up for the loss of lives. “The size of this place is immeasurable.”

“Relax! If we could save these nut bolts, we can save anyone.” GunEagle jerked his hand back, indicating the rescued Axian robots.

“Hey! Watch it Flyboy!” Zapper shot a threatening look though it went ignored.

“I'm sure this is nothing compared to Tenchi Castle.” Bakunetsumaru decided to try some optimism, sensing his comrade's despair. “The Tenchi Castle is truly massive and a force to reckon with. This ice fortress is merely a parking, uh... what are those called? Zones? Reserves? Yeah! It's a parking reserve in comparison! No big deal in size.” The musha nodded his head, the gundam's cultural knowledge clashing together into yet another malapropism. 

“Parking **garage**.” Grappler growled, his tone full of irritation due to what he deemed a stupid mistake. “Besides, I don't know how much you’ve seen in that human world but those things can be gia-”

The blue robot was cut off when Dom whacked him, though not hard. He jumped, caught off guard by the act but more surprised that the larger, usually less verbal of the three had performed the act, having expected it to come from Zapper. 

“What was-” Grappler began, annoyed, spinning around to face the larger robot but was cut off once more.

“Don't.” Came the simple yet firm response, lacking Dom's usual dimwitted tone. The large robot shook his head, watching his smaller comrade as if daring a response. Grappler stared up at his comrade for a second, debating how to react to Dom’s sudden seriousness that hinted a forgotten intelligence.

“Tch, whatever.” He scoffed after a moment, waving his clawed hand in dismissal before starting after the rest of the group who’d gained some distance.

Zero suddenly stopped, as if frozen in place. The knight's shoulders were ridged, as if something unpleasant had touched him.

Captain halted as well, noticing Zero's behavior. The military gundam was unsure what to make of the reaction, emotions still hard to determine from behind. “Zero, what's wrong?” He waited silently, trying to deduce the cause of the reaction.

“-ear.”

“Eh, what?” Zapper demanded in a loud voice, not catching what Zero said. The burgundy robot cupped a hand to the side of his head, mimicking the gesture to amplify hearing.

“It's near.” Zero said louder, his pitch rising from the whisper he had just spoken. “We're close!” The knight gundam bolted forward, kicking on his flight boosters so he zoomed over the ice floor, his cape fluttering behind him like a war banner.

“Wait a minute! Zero!” Captain called out, his tone filled with caution but the other gundam was already ahead of the group. He quickly looked at the others as he took a step forward, preparing to run, “Come on, we had best not lose him!”

“I hope this is not the start of a bad habit.” GunEagle remarked, simply thinking over Zero's recent erratic behavior. The aerial gundam quickly followed the rest of the group, Shute trying his best to run on the icy floor while Bakunetsumaru appeared determined as well as focus to not slip. The former Axian lords and the Zako Soldiers had no choice but to match the urgent pace to avoid being left behind in a foreign land.

“If I wanted so much of a work out, I would have volunteered to be on the labor force division for Ark’s restoration! At least I’d be rewarded for it!” Grappler commented, his pace now a sort of trot.

“Yeah, well if you ask me, you could lose some weight!” Zapper replied, his own pace a fast trot.

“You nut bolt! It's called **armor**! And you probably weigh **twice** the amount I do! Especially when you would lug those tacky guns around.”

“What did you say!?” Zapper snapped, his pink eye glowing, “Don't forget who got their commander fin first!”

“It was **me** , you bucketbrain!” Grappler shot back pointing to his head’s fin, ignoring the fact the commander fin mattered nothing now with the Dark Axis gone. 

“That’s a lie, you wing nut!” Zapper stamped his foot, “I was the one first promoted to commander when I fought against Gyan! I lead the invasion on Lacroa!” The two began arguing and insulting back and forth as they raced after their SDG comrades.

“They're at it again, zako.” One of the Zako Soldiers commented to its comrades as they ran as fast as their little legs could carry them to catch up.

“Nothing ever changes, zako.” Inputted another and all the rest nodded their heads as they ran. All of the little green robots were sharing the same thought: They wished they were back in Ark, under the direction of Genkimaru.

“Dah, I biggest! And me say faster!” Dom suddenly interrupted the other two robots. Before Zapper and Grappler knew was happening, the largest of the group grabbed the two of them as if they were toys, displaying his true monstrous strength, and turning on the wheels on his feet sped forward with alarming speed, using Roller Dash.

“Wait for us, zako!” The Zakos shouted looking distraught, now the last ones behind as their lords disappeared ahead of them, Zapper and Grappler's startled yells echoing off the walls. The mini group became a small mob as they raced after the larger robots and the gundams, and the human, wailing to not be left behind.

*~*~*

The running through the halls did not last very long thanks to the group's speed for they arrived at their destination rather quickly. Dom, still holding Zapper and Grappler, nearly ran into Bakunetsumaru and GunEagle who stood with Captain and Shute but stopped an inch way with a screech.

“Put me **down**!” Zapper sputtered, wriggling but Bakunetsumaru turned and gave the former Axian commander a gesture to be quiet.

“We're in enemy territory! We have to keep our presence a secret.” The samurai said in a quiet, firm voice, his brown eyes serious.

“Should have mentioned that **before** we ran around like half wired robots.” Grappler snapped, though his voice was low. He shot a look at Dom, who was still holding them. The large robot looked confused for a moment but seemed to realize what Zapper had said as well as the silent meaning of Grappler's look for he put them both down. Behind them the Zako Soldiers ran up, all of them huffing and puffing for breath, collapsing on the floor.

“I can't take it, zako.”

“No more, zako.”

“My legs are gonna fall off, zako.”

“SHHH!” Dom suddenly hissed turning upon the small green robots, mimicking Bakunetsumaru's gesture, holding a finger up, his pitch much deeper. The Zakos immediately stiffened and quieted, but still shook in nervous excitement.

“Zero, what's wrong?” Shute inquired in a concerned tone, his as well as everyone else's attention on the Winged Knight once more.

The Lacroan gundam stood before large doors that were made out of ice, staring at them with much intensity. “Here, just beyond these doors.” The indigo raised his hand, reaching to push them open. “I can feel it strongest here though it’s faint.”

“Wait! It could be a trap!” GunEagle warned, causing Zero to halt his movement. The rookie blinked his emerald eyes as the knight gundam, as well as the others, turned to look at him. “What? Can't a guy be cautious for once? I mean, I'm all for busting in with guns blazing but how are you sure this isn't some part of our opponent's plan?”

“I don't.” Zero stiffly replied, “But I can't wait. Just in case it is a trap, you all should wait here. That way if it is a trap you can flee and come up with another plan. No sense in all of us getting captured. I’ll be the scout.”

“Don't even think about that!” Bakunetsumaru objected, immediately stepping up toward Zero. “We're comrades at arms and a warrior like me will never back down from a fight. Even if it's a pan of lions, we'll make our way through and out!”

“Den of lions.” Shute corrected lightly, though the human boy could not help smiling and nodding. “Yeah, Zero. We've come this far together, so we're all going in. We can get in and out of anything together because we're a team!”

“I couldn't have said it better myself.” Captain agreed, the military gundam giving a nod. “We're here to support you, Zero. However my calculations do estimate the chance of an ambush or trap to be 85.82%. Noting that we are ready to give you backup.”

“Don’t mind us,” Grappler announced, managing to keep his annoyed sarcastic tone low, “we're just part of the popsicle stand. Just go ahead and do your thing while we mind the goods. Out of harm’s way.”

“Dah, popsicle?” Dom asked, his lone pink eye growing large with wonder and curiosity. “Creamsicle best.”

“It's a figure of speak you lead headed moron.” Zapper snapped, though the burgundy robot looked content with Grappler's suggestion. The Zako Soldiers seemed to show their agreement as well, all of them nodding their heads at once, looking like a mini sea of green bobble heads with lone pink eyes. 

“Cowards.” Bakunetsumaru scoffed, not believing these were the same Axian robots who now served faithfully under the young energetic Genkimaru.

“Hey, now listen here, Mr. Fire.” Grappler growled, pointing his clawed left hand at the red samurai. “We didn't ask to be here. It just so happens we were **captured** and you guys saved us. We'll do our own part of helping you 'save the day' and repaying you, but first off we would appreciate not walking into a trap that could end our lives.” 

“Guess you learned the hard way on Kaon.” Bakunetsumaru couldn’t resist, causing the robots to instantly glare at him for picking a fight from earlier.

“You all stay here.” Zero faced everyone, his teal eyes serious. He could still feel the pull from the magic, the invisible thread seemingly ready to come completely undone. “I appreciate your support but I should do this alone. I will not risk the wellbeing of my compatriots by involving you in my rash decisions. It is not right to carelessly endanger others to save another. I would never forgive myself if I lead you into danger.”

“Dude, if you're going to save whoever it is, then **go**!” GunEagle blurted, “I was just warning about a possible trap but nothing is going to happen if we just stand here arguing! We're wasting time!” His emerald eyes locked on Zero. “You're a knight who must fulfill his duty, yes? Then do it! Do as you said and rescue! Taking no action is the worst thing someone can do when they know they should stand up for what’s right. We’ll decide for ourselves what to do since we came along to help. Well, that and honestly I wanted an adventure. Get in there and save if you feel that’s what you have to do. We’re not stopping you so you shouldn’t stop us.”

Silence covered the group as everyone watched in anticipation of what the Winged Knight was going to say in turn to the rookie’s outburst. Shute stared with big green eyes, not sure what to say despite his experience with defusing confrontations. Finally after a few seemingly tense moments, someone spoke up.

“Thanks GunEagle.” Zero spoke, grateful for the honest pep talk, feeling gladness stir within despite his frustrations with the younger gundam. Without another word, he turned and gave a hearty shove at the icy door, forcing their frozen hinges to move. Everyone stiffened as the doors slowly swung open, all three Axian commanders tensing as they readied to bolt while the Zako Soldiers hid and watched timidly.

No monster came bursting through the open doors nor was there any enemy fire. Only silence and a cold blast of air greeted them yet the stillness in the air was almost haunting. With no obvious danger, the decision to go forward was silently unanimous though not without doubt.

Carefully the rescue party wearily made their way into the enormous chamber with a high ceiling. Surrounding them were majestic walls made of ice, strange symbol's carved into them. Pillars lined the room like the previous rooms had, also having strange runes and symbols carved into them. The only lifelike thing inside was a vast collection of ice sculptures that made the room seem like a maze of artwork.

Zero scanned the room, taking in the variety of sculptures before turning his focus on locating the source of the magic pull. It was in this room. He could feel its sudden halt like a trail of string in the dark that had suddenly been severed. “I feel-”

“Aaaauuughawwaaaahhaaa!”

Suddenly a sharp cry filled the air and everyone froze, whirling around toward the source of the noise with fearful and serious looks. Bakunetsumaru stared back at them, also looking surprised but somewhat confused and flustered. “W-What are you all looking at me for? I didn't do it... It's not like this place is h-h-haunted or a-anyt-thing.” He stuttered, starting to be convinced the opposite of his own words. The musha however did manage to point at the cause of the noise.

Everyone looked in unison toward the direction Bakunetsumaru indicated only to see GunEagle with a startled expression, his emerald eyes uncharacteristically huge with tiny pupils. The rookie was before an ice sculpture of a large feral looking dragonlike bird with an open maw. Its mouth was big enough to seemingly swallow GunEagle who had been about to walk right into its luckily lifeless jaws. The whole statue easily dwarfed the rescue party in height. It was amazing that it even fit into the room. The sculptor must have fashioned it within the room's walls.

“Haha... um, sorry. Just got, you know, startled for a moment there.” GunEagle nervously laughed as he let out a cough, embarrassed at his outburst as well at the heated looks he was receiving. He had not been paying attention to where he was going, instead looking at a long vertical strip of ice that nicely reflected things to which he was shadow boxing.

“Nice way to blow our cover of silence, airhead.” Grappler snapped, frowning deeply at the aerial gundam. “Just our luck that another one of the gundams turns into a chicken and just about jumps at his own shadow.”

“Hey now, I do **not** jump at my own shadow!” GunEagle replied in a firm voice before adding, “Why should I? I think it's rather good looking, if I say so myself—which I do.”

“Looks like the Force has their very own Narcissus in gundamium.” Zapper murmured to his comrades, earning a sea of head bobs from the Zako Soldiers, a low “Dah” from Dom and a “Tch, figures” from Grappler.

“Um guys, I think it's best we hurry up, the sooner we leave the better. We don't know if the enemy is watching us plus GunEagle's outcry might have alerted them. Plus I would personally like to get out of this giant freezer.” Shute said looking nervous as he looked all around, as if about to catch sight of some evidence of the spying.

“For once it wasn't me.” Bakunetsumaru muttered to himself, somewhat happy at the fact but paused for a moment as he began to comprehend the backhanded compliment that he had just given himself.

“I agree with Shute. The rescue mission is priority and then we can out of here. We want to avoid any more attention being drawn to us. There is a 68.34% that we have still not been noticed yet.” Captain motioned for them all to lower their voices.

“I can feel the presence strongest in this room, yet I don't see them.” Zero spoke in a low voice, his voice tinting with worry. His teal eyes immediately went to the sculptures, afraid that the one who had been calling for help was now frozen like the Axian gang had been.

“Dah, found something.” Dom suddenly spoke pointing away from the group, the large robot having wandered some ways from the others.

Through the rows of sculptures and the randomly placed ones, a large strange device sat toward the end of the room. There were two pillars on either side with something sitting in the middle that looked like a giant orb. Lights swirled across the orb’s surface as it pulsed faintly. Cables strung up from the orb to something that hung high between the pillars, the object suspended in midair by various tethers.

Cautiously the group eased their way toward the strange device. Zero felt the magic pull on him tighten as he neared. Suddenly his circuits began to run cold as a despairing feeling crept up in his chest. Was this a premonition or simply worry?

Once upon the machine, everyone moved to what they deemed must be the front. With curious eyes they all stared closely at the mysterious device. It took barely a moment for everyone to figure out what the object hanging in the middle was. 

A gundam.

“Why, I believe it's-” Captain began but was immediately cut off.

“A **girl**!” GunEagle nearly bellowed, his emerald green eyes wide with shock but shining in happiness. “A **babe**!” The aerial gundam eyed the figure with delicate blue details adorning its armor that appeared turquoise. He looked as if he were ready to pass out in happiness of the revelation.

“Star.” Zero stated, his teal eyes staring at the imprisoned form, his processors solving the seeming riddle from not so long ago which the captive had spoken: _“M-my name… it belongs to the sky, to the heavenly bodies above.”_

The Winged Knight took a tentative step forward, his eyes locked on the suspended turquoise body. “Her name is Star.” He stared at the gundam whom he had been in contact with, relieved but shocked at the same time. A female? 

The voice he’d heard had seemed ambiguous as it echoed in his head but there was no denying it: this was indeed the one who had been calling to him, the magic trail abruptly stopping before her. But why was she unresponsive? She made no sign to acknowledge their arrival, no sound emitting from her. Were they too late?

“You never said we were rescuing a girl, Zero, you sly dog.” GunEagle nudged the knight enthusiastically. “Here to save the maiden fair, huh?”

“My scanners indicate that her vital readings are dipping expediently below normal! Her restrains seem to be the cause.” Captain pointed to the strange bindings that were wrapped around the gundamess' limbs and connected to the dark red orb in the middle of her chest. 

_“I am captured by our… tyrant… My strength is slowly being drained....”_

“Quick! Cut the restraints! They're draining her powers and life force!” Zero exclaimed, Star's previous words echoing in his memory bank like a haunting cry that sent chills down one's back. “We have to get her away from those **now**!”

“Leave it to me! I can get her down in no time!” GunEagle immediately volunteered. The rookie reached behind him and pulled out his beam saber. Instantly its pink energy blade was pulsing, ready for use. “I swear my fuel cells are going to freeze up if I don't use them.”

“I'll help you.” Captain responded, pulling out his own beam saber as his thrusters turned on. “We'll be twice as fast working together. Go for the orb’s cables first.”

“Roger, much obliged, Captain.” GunEagle gave a quick salute to his idol before engaging his flight boosters to lift him off the ground. Once hovering, his thrusters switched on and the aerial gundam swooped toward the restrained Star, performing quick and precise slices with his weapon. Captain followed suit, swiftly severing the lower connections in a flash. Together the two were like adventurers making their way through a jungle, hacking away at vines that choked their path.

As the cables were cut away, the gundamess' body sagged, staying suspended thanks to her limb's bindings. Even with the energy draining cables gone, Star was unresponsive, making no signs of acknowledgement of the rescue party's presence.

“Zero, get ready!” Captain instructed, giving a nod to GunEagle who quickly took up the opposite position. Like a knife through butter, the energy beams of the sabers cut through the limb bindings; with mere seconds between, the feet binds were sliced before quickly followed by the hand and arm ones. As the two Neotopians cut the last bindings in sync, Star's body lurched forward and began its decent to toward the frozen ground.

Zero quickly hovered under the device, arms outstretched, catching the falling turquoise body, the blue ribbons attached to her helmet streaming. The Winged Knight let out a grunt from the impact, as the weight pushed him down to one knee but he held on tight. Gathering his strength to not drop the gundamium made damsel in his arms, he tried to hold her up, calling in a concerned, anxious voice, “Milady Star! Can you hear me? Say something!” 

GunEagle and Captain flew down and were next to Zero in no time, everyone else quickly gathering around. The gundamess showed no signs of movement, her optical screens remaining blank. Everyone watched in anticipation, hoping for some sign of life to indicate they were not too late. Some horrifying seconds of absolute silence and no response set everyone on edge, the grim thoughts that their cause was lost unanimous. 

However there was a low moan, immediately calling attention back to Star. Her optical screens flickered briefly before revealing purple eyes that seemed distant. 

_“... N... nani?”_ A weak sounding feminine voice asked, Star's eyes trying to focus as they flickered. She looked completely incoherent, unable to grasp the situation. The word she spoke was foreign, nothing that Captain or any other the others could comprehend though Bakunetsumaru thought it was familiar.

The turquoise gundamess managed another word, the tone filled with begging as she tried to raise her hand, _“T-t… tasu… kete...”_ , reaching for Zero but what strength she had left failed her. Her hand fell useless by her side as she trembled. Her body gave a shudder but even that seemed to take all the strength and energy that remained within.

Zero did not understand her exact words but knew that she was asking for help. Did she think this was a vision? The Lacroan gundam held her tighter as he tried to keep her upright. “Milady Star! It's me, Zero! Remember!? The one you called to from another dimension! I've come to save you! I'm here now! As well as my comrades! Milady!”

Star's eyes stopped flickering for a moment, allowing the gundamess' purple eyes to stare intently into the Winged Knight's own teal ones. _“R-Rei...”_ Her voice whispered, _“Kishi no Tsubasa..._ Zero...” As soon as she uttered the knight's name her optics completely shut off, leaving the screens blank and dark. Her body went limp indicting her power and energy completely gone. Once more the turquoise gundamess was just a seemingly empty shell of gundamium.

“Well, that went well!” Grappler said in an exasperated tone, breaking the stunned as well as pained silence, “We save this captive princess or whatever she is only to learn she doesn't understand us or speak our language!”

“But it doesn't make sense! When she contacted me I could understand her! And we heard that strange magical visitor from her world! It could speak well enough too!” Zero exclaimed, distraught at Star’s condition as well as the shocking language barrier. It did not make any sense that he could understand her before and now could not. “And when she healed me in the No-Man's-Zone... It had to be her…”

“She's not... you know...” Shute began the young boy, biting his lip as he looked at the blank optical screens of the motionless gundamess with concern.

“No, she's alive. Just weak.” Zero quickly replied, feeling his Mana Crystal throbbing. Was this due to fear or something else? It felt like a burning sensation and he felt slightly weak, some faintness sweeping over his consciousness but the knight fought it. A tingling sensation was present as well yet only as noticeable as a faint whisper. “I think can feel the magic force within her but it's barely present.”

“You don't happen to have a magic fueled I.V. pack on you, do you?” Zapper sarcastically asked Captain who he deemed the one to have the tools and means for anything and everything.

The Neotopian gundam ignored the remark and instead engaged his comlink system. “Calling Neotopian SDG base, this is Captain Gundam. Can you hear me, Chief Haro? Bellwood? Juli? Chief Kao Lyn? This is Captain Gundam. We have established contact with Zero's Kendra informant, Miss Star. She is in need of medical assistance. Requesting use of the Dimensional Transport Device as soon as possible, over.”

Static was the only response heard.

“Here Captain, let try me. Chief Haro did say something about our new wave amplifiers together might be enough to establish connection. I think.” GunEagle replied, the rookie stepping up, knowing the grave urgency of the matter. Both Neotopian gundams stood about a foot apart, channeling communication waves between each other, being one another's amplifier to power the outgoing signal as Captain tried contact once more.

“This is Captain Gundam of Neotopia. Do you read me, Ground Base? I am calling from the planet Kendra, over.”

There was silence over the com-system for a moment, as if sound had yet to reach across the universe to another planet where help was. Then came the brief patch of static, leaving the feeling of dread to sweep over the group once more.

“Maybe the DTD is still under maintenance? We might be too soon in contacting them.” Shute urged, trying to maintain positivity.

Zero said nothing for a moment as he clutched Star in his arms, his circuits buzzing with comprehension data and memory bank information. The Winged Knight looked once more at the helpless form of the gundamess before finding access to his voice processors once more. “I'm afraid they can't hear us. And even if they can and are unable to answer, they will not be able to help us with a dimensional portal. Being I was the last one through the portal, I noticed it seemed to implode and perhaps damage the DTD nearby.”

“Do you mean the DTD **broke**!?” Bakunetsumaru exclaimed, the horror unmistakable. “Couldn't you have mentioned this before!?” The thought of being stranded for however long did not sit well with the Blazing Samurai; Kaon had been bad enough with the unforgiving freezing mountains, savage gundam wolves and the aggressive clones, but a whole frozen planet!?

“I was preoccupied, sorry!” Zero shot back, not happy about this revelation either though mostly angry at himself for not saying something earlier. His worrying over Star's condition could not be denied either, emotions exploding inside of him like firecrackers. “I wasn’t sure if anything was effected until now. Besides, Bellwood said it was likely a one way trip as the portals to return would be uncertain due to magical interference.” 

“The backlash of the Kendra portal imploding probably overloaded Bellwood’s device and damaged it. It most likely spread to the DTD since the systems are connected.” Captain explained, going over the statistics for possibilities. “That is if the DTD wasn’t caught up in the physical blast as well.”

“What!? That stupid dimensional contraption of yours is broken again!? That is one of the most unreliable piece of junk hardware that I have ever seen!” Grappler couldn’t contain his disbelief. “When we had the Zakorello Gate, we **never** had this problem! Getting thrown in the wrong dimension or dimensional travel simply not working... that was unheard of in the Dark Axis!”

“No, you guys just sucked at invading and winning battles.” GunEagle remarked, his emerald eyes reflecting his amusement.

“Why you...” Zapper started, the burgundy robot looking furious and annoyed.

“Hey, guys come on now. Fighting isn't going to solve anything.” Shute quickly interjected, not wanting a fight among allies to break out. “Right now we should figure out what to do and where to go until we can get off this planet. This place could be teeming with the enemy in no time. I mean, after all I believe we're in their territory if not headquarters.”

“Go where? The way we came? No offense, Shute but I don't think I want to risk getting lost in that maze again. Besides we would be walled bats, mere koi in a pond.” Bakunetsumaru argued, though he was willing to go with any plan just to get out of the area. The icy place freaked him out and made his circuits run cold with dread; it also seemed to interfere with his fire abilities, something far from comforting.

“Cornered cats and fish in a barrel.” The human interpreted for the others lost in the skewed metaphors, though he knew the musha had a point.

“Well we can't stay here. Star's condition can get worse at any time. Besides we have no idea when the enemy will appear, we’re too unprepared to face a faceless foe.” Zero looked down at the turquoise gundamess who was still unconscious. A cold hand seemed to clutch his Mana Crystal, the vital orb in his chest freezing up as if to match the Winged Knight's surroundings. _No. I'm not going to let her die. Not anyone any more._

Without warning an explosion violently rocked the room, catching everyone off guard as chunks of ice burst into the air, dust kicking up around the source. Shute's eyes stung from the bits of flying ice and could not help coughing as he inhaled some of the fragments; he immediately regretted taking off his goggles a while back. The gundams and robots quickly shielded their eyes, not wanting the debris to fly and possibly hit and crack their optical screens.

“Dah, me not make boom. Me quiet.” Dom spoke, thinking he would be reprimanded due to the others thinking his carelessness had alerted the enemy. The Zako Soldiers all let out an “Eek!” and crowded behind him, believing their lord could perform well as a shield. 

Slowly the dust began to settle away from the wall where the explosion had come from, a gapping hole now left. Outside the wind howled like a lonely starving creature begging for comfort in a meal of a victim who stumbled into its path. Crouching in front of the hole, posed for attack was a figure. 

A gundam. 

As the gundam quickly straightened, eyes scanning the room, confirming its location, it stopped as soon as it caught sight of the conspicuous group. Stealth was obviously not in the unknown gundam’s favor but speed made up for it. Letting out what sounded like a savage growl, the figure leapt out of the settling dust and landed closer to the rescue party, revealing itself more clearly.

It was an orange gundamess. 

_“Nani-temë!?”_ She snarled her brown eyes narrowed as she looked at each of the rescue party. She certainly did not look friendly or happy to find them. Besides the obvious dislike, the way she exclaimed what sounded like a question was rather rude. In her hand she clutched strange pieces of paper with symbols written on them but otherwise no weapons were apparent. 

“Looks like the enemy has finally shown their face.” GunEagle spoke, his emerald eyes upon the feminine figure of his species. “Their tragically **beautiful** face.”

“Ugh, get a room and go write a poetry book.” Zapper looked grossed out though he tensed at the sight of the enemy; the enemy who had brainwashed him and incased him in a slab of ice like a piece of meat inside a freezer.

“I do not believe she is the enemy however probability is 64.89% she may be in league with him.” Captain informed, scanning the foreign gundam.

“Quick, get rid of her before she blows us up or freezes us all or something!” Grappler instructed, obviously talking to the SDG members as his crew was without weapons save for his clawed hand. “She probably works for the head jerk!” 

“What's she going to do, **papercut** us to death!?” Zapper demanded though he did not let down his guard for an instant; while she was obviously not the true face of the evil her abilities were unknown. Plus he had a hunch she was a minion.

“Captain, can you understand what she's saying?” Bakunetsumaru asked, the musha ready to draw his blades, unsure this was a true enemy. Normally his twin katana blades would be out in an instant but something inside him nagged him not too. What was it? “I swear it sounds familiar.”

“No, I can't. Parts do sound familiar to foreign vocabulary in my databanks, but nothing I can decipher so far or something that I can relay back to her.” Captain's blue eyes stared intently at the gundamess, his library of data quickly being processed. In a low voice he addressed the group, “Don't draw any weapons on her. If this is a misunderstanding, showing hostility will cause a backlash and prove we are enemies. We want to avoid any unnecessary battles and get out of here quickly.”

“Yeah, but what if she **is** the enemy!?” Shute exclaimed, afraid at not knowing what the orange gundamess would do. Still everyone held their ground as they watched the opposing figure cautiously, ready to defend should she attack.

The newcomer appeared to be thinking, her eyes pointed, still defensive. _“Wakarimasu-ka?”_ She spoke, this time her tone a bit curious. After a moment of blank stares she sighed, mumbling what sounded like, _“Gaikokujin... Baka i-jin....”_ She shook her head, causing the turquoise ribbon flowing from the back of her helmet to sway.

“Perhaps I can establish some understanding.” GunEagle suggested, puffing his chest out. If he had been a human one would swear he'd toss his hair, letting it be gracefully ruffled in some random but well-timed breeze before flashing a bright white smile that would blind anyone watching. “I do after all have quite the way with women!”

“Heh, yes, quite.” Bakunetsumaru murmured rolling his brown eyes though he had now slid his twin blades partially out of their sheaths in preparation to draw. He watched the inquiring yet dangerous looking female gundam.

Ignoring the Ark gundam's remark, GunEagle took a step toward the orange gundamess, holding out his hand as if copying Zero. “Pardon me, my good woman, but it seems that we have startled you. Perhaps you could show us a way out? Though I wouldn't mind being stuck here with you.”

Shute looked shocked as well slightly embarrassed, just about giving into the urge to pull his hood over his face to avoid watching while suffering from secondhand embarrassment. Bakunetsumaru looked like he was fighting a laugh but was trying to maintain his warrior's stature. However both Zapper and Grappler were rolling their eyes and doing mimics of gagging. 

Zero watched out of the corner of his eye but was focusing most of his attention on Star, trying to get the turquoise gundamess to awaken once more by calling her name. He felt slightly weak, as if part of his energy and soul had been taken from him. It was not painful, rather it felt like something was missing, like some heavy burden had been lifted from his body but instead caused fatigue.

The orange gundamess held her ground, her eyes narrowing more, still posed in an attack stance. After a moment she said, _“Oshaberi.”_ but did nothing, though her eyes were obviously on Star. Her hand tensed, grasping her mysterious pieces of paper tightly.

“Hey, Captain! I think she understands!” GunEagle looked back at his superior officer before deciding to take another step forward toward the orange gundamess. Before anyone could react, the gundamess moved in a blur, suddenly stepping forward to meet the rookie. In a quick spin, her foot knocked GunEagle's legs out from underneath, causing the aerial gundam to go face first into the ground with an “Oof!” 

_“Sawannai-de!”_ She spat and with a quick flick of her wrist released the tags from her hands. Instantly they landed on GunEagle, seemingly attaching themselves to him like magnets, binding his hands and feet like coils of rope. The young Neotopian gundam let out a yelp of surprise, his bright green eyes full of confusion and bewilderment.

“Uh oh, Captain!” Shute said, horrified. “It looks like she's interested in Star and is not very happy to see us! I don't think she's on our side!”

“So you are foreigners.” The gundamess suddenly spoke before Captain could respond, speaking perfectly understandably rather than what foreign speech she had been uttering moments ago. “I should have known when I first laid eyes on you... everyone of you _baka_.”

“Uh, what's a _baka?_ ” Dom asked cocking his head at the orange gundamess.

“Idiot, moron, fool, take your pick.” The strange gundamess shrugged, though she hardly looked relaxed or in the mood for socializing. “It's what you all are for thinking you could mess with me and get away with it! Especially for trying to harm Hoshiko! I should have known **he** would try something like this! Summoning warriors from another world! You’re clearly not Kendrian!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, let's stop for a moment!” GunEagle shouted as he struggled, trying to get out of his bindings. “This is all a big misunderstanding, babe! This here is a rescue party not a what-ever-else-crew you think we are! Sure some of us might look strange,” there were various glares at the rookie, “—but we're not enemies!”

“The only thing right is that we're from another world.” Shute replied though after receiving a seething glace from the orange gundamess the boy added softly, “Miss.”

“And warriors!” Bakunetsumaru quickly interjected, feeling his pride of being a fierce and just samurai at stake. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Shute facepalm while Grappler rolled his eye upward. Zapper muttered out of the corner of his mouth,

“Nice going, moron. Now she'll see us as a definite threat.”

“Wait!” Zero cried out, directing all attention to him. “We're not enemies but how do we know you aren't?” The knight felt only hostility from the strange gundamess but no true malice like he knew thanks to his previous battles with evil. Still her intensions were unknown and it made him uneasy, especially when she seemed ready to pounce like a tigress. “And who's Hoshiko?” 

“ **She** is Hoshiko.” The tense gundamess replied, pointing at Star. “She is my sister through oath.” Her voice hardened, “And she my leader.”

“How come you can understand us? You didn't seem to only a few moments ago with that nonsense blabber.” Grappler demanded, his eye narrowed in suspicion as well as dislike. “Playing dumb?”

“It is of the power of Kendra's heart, the Planet’s Core though given its current state it takes time to work; also certain spells can give basic understanding as to what you are saying. As soon as I slapped a specific tag on your cheap buddy here, I was able to detect your dialect and magic does the rest.” The orange gundamess stiffly replied, “I was not sure if you could understand Kendrian or not so I naturally spoke it first, but obviously you cannot.” She indicated to GunEagle with a light nod.

“If she's your leader then you were breaking in to save her, right?” Shute quickly asked, the human feeling a spark of hope at having found a possible diversion to a fight. “We're all on the same side then! We came to Kendra to save her! We’re here to help!”

_“Nani?”_ The orange gundamess exclaimed, her surprise undeniable as well as the instant look of doubt and suspicion. _“Uso!”_ She growled, her brown eyes narrowing, _“Sonna-no uso-yo!”_ She took a hostile step toward GunEagle, ready to use him as barter in order to get hold of Star. “Deceivers.” The word was spat with much distaste.

“Milady Star, I mean **Hoshiko** , contacted me through what I can only deem as telepathic magic to ask for my assistance.” Zero quickly spoke up trying to stand but struggled as he still gripped the unconscious gundamess, feeling some energy leave him. “I am ashamed to say I only just arrived despite her previous pleas. Please take my word and honor as a knight of Lacroa that I am here to protect her as well as try to help you restore your planet back to its original state. I failed my promise before, but let me regain the trust.”

The orange gundamess watched the knight closely her brown eyes locked on him like a hawk on a mouse. After what seemed like long moments, she spoke, her tone surprisingly lighter, “I believe you. You're not the enemy. If you were truly villainous you would have attacked me as soon as I captured your comrade if not before.”

“Phew, well that's good.” Shute sighed, his heart taking it as a cue to slowdown on its quickened pace. “Now we can all get along and stop intimidating one another.”

“But just because I believe you doesn't mean I'll trust you. Right now let's simply call a truce and get out of here.” The orange gundamess wagged a finger at the boy, giving all the members of the group a serious look. She then straightened, placing her hand over the purple orb in her chest. “I am JunMai. JunMai the spirit blessed Summoner and second in command to Hoshiko.”

“I'm Zero, the Winged Knight of Lacroa.” Zero dipped his head in a politeness. “These are my friends and comrades.”

“I'm Shute, a human, and this is Captain Gundam.” The brown haired boy gestured to himself then to his military gundam friend. Now that JunMai had relaxed a bit and could be seen better, Shute noticed that her body armor reminded him a bit like the ninja mushas in Ark. “We're from Neotopia, including GunEagle.”

“I am Bakunetsumaru, Blazing Samurai of Ark.” The samurai took a step forward, striking a warrior's pose.

“Save introductions for later.” Zapper suddenly cut in before more names could be given. “My circuits are running cold standing in this freezer besides I have a bad feeling.”

“Yeah, I agree. Though I’m GunEagle, in case you didn’t catch that.” GunEagle added, calling attention to himself, “But if you don't mind, could you undo these?”

With a snap of her fingers, JunMai's strange pieces of paper seemingly loosened and fell off of the aerial gundam; once unattached the paper flew back into her open hand. “We need to leave this place immediately.”

“Sure just lead the way but I for one am not going that way.” Grappler folded his arms, nodding his head toward the hole in the wall. “Besides with all that racket from the explosion, I would be expecting some sign of the enemy by now.”

“Pardon me, but I was expecting to break in, grab Hoshiko and then get out before something could happen.” JunMai shot back. “So if you plan on coming with me, get going instead of wasting more time.” The orange gundamess waved the group toward her. “We’re going the way I came in, though it may be tough for some as it is a far drop.”

“Drop?” Bakunetsumaru echoed, suddenly not liking the sound of the plan.

“Why didn't you just take the tunnels instead of blowing a hole?” Zapper asked, skeptical of this so-called second in command. “Can’t we go back the way we came? You know, without having to apparently freefall.”

“I could not afford spending hours getting lost in the tunnels while the enemy is alerted, not again. Besides I had to bust in since I do not have teleportation magic.” JunMai quickly explained, waving at them to hasten as they slowly edged toward the hole. “With our tyrant’s power currently over the Planet’s Core this fortress’ structure could change without warning. He manipulated the Core to make this place; it is full of tainted magic. We could end up trapped and we would still have to make a way out.” 

“Again?” Shute wondered at JunMai’s remark. She’d attempted a rescue before? However he could not help but ponder how much power this villain had. He had at least enough power to influence this “Planet’s Core,” which sounded like a big deal.

“It did appear like the tunnels did change, magic makes sense. I estimate we were roaming them for 2.5 hours before we came here.” Captain noted. “We would have probably wandered longer if Zero did not have a lead.”

“Which is why if we want a quick escape we have to go now, out the hole before it seals up or the enemy appears. We’ve delayed too long already. He must be preoccupied with something…” JunMai looked thoughtful as she gazed around.

“Uh, is it just me or did something move just now?” GunEagle questioned, caution in his voice. “I thought a statue used to be over there.” He gestured where to a large gap between a few statues. The large patch of nothingness did have some eerie feeling about it once everyone looked at it. 

“Watch out!” JunMai yelled, tackling Zapper as something suddenly lunged at him, its jaws snapping at where the burgundy gundam had just been standing, causing the Zako Soldiers to scatter as they emitted shrill cries. Together the gundamess and the robot slid away from the attacker as the others recoiled. 

JunMai scrambled to get up while Bakunetsumaru let out a yelp, his pupils small in horror. “W-what is **that**!?”

“ _Kōri no hugo-sha_! Ice guardians! This whole room must be filled with them!” JunMai yelled as the massive ice statue swung its head searching for its escaped intended victim, dragging its claws across the icy floor. It was none other than the one GunEagle had nearly run into earlier: The massive monster dragon bird.

“When we released Miss Star and took her past a certain point it must have set off a trap.” Captain exclaimed, his green scanner flicking over his eye as he pulled out his beam saber, ready to fend off the enchanted creature. “Refrain from use of missiles and bullets! We may weaken the room structure on accident and cause it to collapse on us.” 

“Naturally the biggest sculpture in the room had to come alive!” Grappler shouted as if blaming the gundams for the bad luck. Unfortunately the ice guardian was intelligent, not acting as a bind attack dog. As it swung its head away from Captain to avoid a blow, its pupil-less eyes turned toward Zero and the unconscious Star to which a grin formed on its face. It knew what prey it was supposed to recapture.

“I hate to tell you, but that's not the one that’s missing!” GunEagle shouted just as a shadow passed over him. The rookie did a barrel roll, barely escaping the snapping jaws of a slightly smaller ice sculpture that had sprung to life. “Uh, never mind I think I found it!” With emerald eyes on the new ice guardian, GunEagle pulled out his beam saber. “Let's see just how well an energy beam works against a walking Frosty.”

“I should have **known** he set something up like this!” JunMai fumed as she pulled out more pieces of paper, arming herself with spell tags. “He wants to capture you, drain your power, then make you a frozen trophy if he doesn’t enslave you first!” The orange gundamess shouted, emotion tingeing her voice. Her brown eyes were full of hate as she looked at the creations of her planet's torturer and Star's captor.

“Don’t blink!” Dom bellowed while the Zakos screamed, only to be bowled over like pins as another statue sprung to life and knocked its tail into them.

“Well, I suppose I've always wanted to do some ice carving.” Grappler smirked as a wolfish statue came to life, advancing toward the blue robot. Flexing his clawed hand, the Axian leapt forward just as the ice guardian did. With practiced strike, Grappler's claws sunk into the ice creature's face, sawing through as he pulled to the side. 

Grappler ripped his claws out of his opponent, slicing off the creature's bottom jaw. The creature took a step back, seemingly surprised as it tried to open and close its mouth. Grappler's smile widened, “Hah! Not so tough without a mouth, eh?” 

“Hey! Frostbite!” Zapper called out, getting the wounded ice guardian's attention. With a loud shout, the burgundy robot charged and slammed into it with his left shoulder, driving his three spikes into its body. The wolfish creature's legs kicked and it let out noise of frustration, only to be silenced as Zapper tackled it into the wall, the force being enough to cause cracks to form across its body. It then dropped to the ground, unmoving as the cracks grew. 

Zapper took a few steps back, puffing for breath though he stuck his chest out as he pointed at his fallen opponent. “Just because I don't have any guns doesn't mean I'm out for the count!”

“Shute, come over here so I can protect you and Lady Star.” Zero beckoned the boy to his side. Being Captain was preoccupied with his fight Zero took it upon himself to keep an eye on the human and keep Star out of the enemy’s hands. He wanted to aid with the fighting but sensed that his magic was slowly weakening and his energy was dropping, making him most likely a hindrance. He had to get out of here, away from whatever was causing it.

“Can you lend me some strength to carry her?” The Winged Knight asked as Shute scuttled over while shouting encouragement at Captain. The boy nodded and prepared himself to take on some weight as he went on the opposite side of Star. Shute could not help let out a grunt as the gundamess' weight pressed on his shoulder but was determined to help Zero out. 

“We have to get out of here and seal the room!” The boy exclaimed to the Winged Knight, a horrified look on his face. “We’re basically standing in the middle of a nest of these creatures!” 

“Hiya!” Captain shouted as he flew at his opponent, swinging his beam saber. The animated ice sculpture dragon bird flapped its wings, causing a gust to knock the military gundam back. Moving its head like a snake, it quickly struck out at Captain, aiming to catch him in its jaws. When it missed the swift Neotopian, the large creature lashed its taloned foot out, causing a tremor to shake the whole room. 

The ground quivered, sounds of ice cracking reaching his sensors as Captain tried to stabilize himself as he landed. “Shute! Zero! You two go for the tunnels with Miss Star while we keep these things occupied! We’ll formulate a plan from there but get to safety first. We’ll try to barricade them.” 

JunMai rushed to assist the military gundam while Bakunetsumaru cut into what looked like an ice version of a typical gargoyle. The musha’s adversary however was spitting out chunks of ice as a form of attack.

“Man, you're one tough snow dude.” GunEagle spoke to his opponent, the creature's blank eyes fixed on him. He had managed to slice off an ear and the tail it had used to whip him with multiple times. It did not seem tired and it was much bigger than him by perhaps five feet. “You sure you're not related to Frosty?” 

The creature only let out a growl and dropped down to all fours from its upright position. It was like a crocodile and some dinosaur mixed together with an unknown creature. 

“Whoa!” GunEagle barely dodged the severed creature's tail. It landed with a thud behind him with what looked like a stinger at the end twitching since it had missed puncturing his armor. “Psh, as if ice could pierce gundamium... or can it on this wacko planet?” His mindless opponent took a chance with the distraction and leapt for the gundam, claws and teeth ready to latch on.

“Dah, make enemy go boom!” Dom's voice caught the rookie's attention as the large robot was grappling with what looked like a strange ice hippo with razor sharp teeth. With not so much a grunt, the largest Axian grabbed the hippo creature behind its front legs and lifted it while it tried to swing its head around to latch onto him. 

With a throw that was certainly herculean, the black and purple robot tossed the creature toward GunEagle's opponent. Instantly the two of them collided, knocking themselves into a pillar as they began to crack in response to the tremendous force. The two began to shatter though they continued to move, only much more sluggish, reflecting their damage and process of dying. 

“Ah, much obliged big guy.” GunEagle thanked, giving a small salute to Dom who looked very pleased. Still there was more then enough to go around as more of the creatures were appearing—some rather large ones in fact, almost big enough to rival the ice dragon bird.

“You! _Baka_ -maru!” JunMai let a spell tag fly through the air, it latching onto the cheek of the ice dragon bird. Guided by a quick hand gesture the paper glowed before letting out a boom. The massive ice guardian emitted a shriek as it stumbled, now blinded in one eye with part of its face missing. Captain quickly took advantage of the blind spot to attack. The orange gundamess masterfully distanced herself from the opponent, glancing at the Ark gundam’s way. “Come here! I need you for something.”

“It's **Bakunetsumaru**!” The musha corrected but hastened over to JunMai, but not before blocking and countering an attack from another ice guardian with his twin katana blades. “Um, no offense, but I don't think your pieces of paper are enough to stop these guys. Even if they explode I think they'll just get angrier.”

“You're right, the spell tags aren’t and these monsters can't feel pain but can express anger. However I do have **something** that can hurt them. I need to buy time for all of us to escape and get Hoshiko out of here.” The orange gundamess pulled out a strange looking spell tag, her brown eyes confident. “Please protect me as I perform the ceremony. You shall witness the power of a spirit blessed Summoner.” Without another word to the samurai, JunMai closed her eyes and did a pivot, dragging one foot on the ground to make a visible circle in the ice as she did a 360 turn.

“Ceremony?” Bakunetsumaru questioned, not sure if he understood.

In an enchanting voice JunMai spoke as she spun, performing light dance steps within the circle. “Oh great spirit beasts with whom I have a pact of a lifetime, a promise to fulfill my duty of honor and servitude to uphold the laws of my homeland and protect the people, please heed my call for humor bidding.” 

Bakunetsumaru had no idea what was going on. By this talk of “summons” he figured might be something to do with beings like Fenn. Still the musha took on the enemy for that was his duty as a warrior, as a samurai: To protect those in need.

JunMai continued her ceremony as Bakunetsumaru fended off any ice guardians targeting the orange gundamess, cleaving one's head in two. “I bring forth the contract with the spirit of the heavenly currents to beckon your service. Now answer...” Her brown eyes opened, focused as they glowed as well as her orb in her chest. With a flick of the wrist, she thrust her hand forward, pinching the spell tag between two fingers. “I summon thee! Come forth, _Kaze no Seishin_! Kazane!” 

A pillar of light exploded from the circle, with JunMai as the center before it expanded out, knocking several of the animated ice sculptures back. From the expanding light something shot out, a shrill but melodious sound echoing in the icy room. When the light dimmed it revealed a large light sea green colored bird like creature with a long neck and tail that had multi colored feathers. As majestic as it looked something about it was overpowering and frightening, wildness obvious in its eyes and form.

Bakunetsumaru stared in awe as the creature dived down toward the remaining lifeless statues that had not yet sprung into action, opening its beak to unleash a torrent of song and wind, causing the ice creations to shatter from the high frequency. A low moan caught the samurai's attention, causing him to turn toward JunMai who was teetering. Quickly he rushed to her side, catching the orange gundamess before her knees hit the ground. “Are you alright? T-that... that was **amazing**! I doubt Zero can even do something like that!”

“Heh, thanks. You make a great _yojimbo_. Bodyguard.” JunMai spoke weakly, the Kendrian gundamess looking shook up, her eyes no longer glowing. “I just need to catch my breath. I used up too much energy before the summon and didn't prepare enough time so I'm lightheaded. _Baka_.” She slapped her head out of frustration. “But go back to your fight, I can take care of myself, no worries. Thank you though.” The orange gundamess sat up rubbing her head before giving her protector a nod.

The Blazing Samurai figured it would be useless to argue anything different. Besides, JunMai looked very capable of taking care of herself. She certainly was not the damsel in the distress type. When Bakunetsumaru turned he swore GunEagle was looking at him rather pointedly. It was as if he said “I saw what you did there” but musha was completely clueless as to what. He was just doing his duty as an honorable samurai.

“Gah, making ice thingies go boom. They keep coming though.” Dom commented as he gave a feline like ice guardian a whack with a pole he had managed to find, brandishing as a makeshift weapon. “Me wish I had bomb or gun. Need weapons.”

“I hear you bud.” GunEagle commented as he was suddenly tackled by what appeared to be a winged snake with arms. The rookie let out a grunt as the ice guardian grabbed at him, managing to wiggled out of its grip and kick it while delivering an upper cut with his fist. Seizing the moment to escape, GunEagle swung his beam saber's blade at the creature, managing to slice a wing and arm off. “What is with some of these guys!? The creator had a wild imagination.”

“If I had any bullets I'd make sure they all ate **lead**!” Zapper shouted as he punched his opponent in the mouth, causing his fist to erupt through the back of its head. Quickly he rotated his wrist and pulled it back out as he gave his opponent a kick, causing it to fall away from him.

“Guys! Come on!” Shute urged as he and Zero neared the doors with Star still unconscious between them. Fortunately for them the ice guardians were focused on the other members of the rescue party and were not attacking.

“Go! Kazane will take care of the rest of the creatures and buy us some time! We’ll find another way out.” JunMai called out, waving her hand toward the exit as she tried to regain her strength, determination in her brown eyes. She pulled out a multitude of spell tags, each between a finger, and threw them at the ice guardians approaching her. With a quick hand gesture their moments were instantly restricted and they were struggling on the spot to get free as the orange gundamess made her way toward the exit with her binding spell in obvious effect.

“Alright, let's go!” Grappler announced, kicking an ice guardian as it tried to get up from the spot it had fallen, still trying to attack him. 

The giant ice dragon bird seemed to understand language for it lashed out and slammed into the entryway, causing it to collapse as the doors crumbled and a pillar fell over. Shute and Zero immediately halted their escape, standing in horror as they held onto the unconscious Star, their escape route now destroyed.

“Ugh! The exit is blocked what do we do?” Zapper shouted as the burgundy robot halted his retreat, now caught between a blocked exit and a giant ice monster.

“Quick, to the other side!” Captain shouted as he whirled his beam saber around, cleaving an ice guardian's head off its body. The Neotopian gundam waved his free hand toward the direction as he had a split second to spare.

As fast as they could, those near to the blocked exit raced to the other side of the room. Catching the movement, the giant ice bird tried to snap at them but JunMai's summon, Kazane, slammed into it, ramming the enemy into the wall. The wind bird then let out a cry as it banged the ice creature against the wall but the large ice guardian snapped back, raking its sharp ice claws into the flesh and blood summon.

“This is beyond nuts!” Grappler shouted as he dove onto the ground to avoid being slammed by Kazane as the giant bird crashed to the floor.

“All we're doing is running around like chickens with our heads cut off!” Bakunetsumaru exclaimed as he dodged another normal sized ice guardian, quickly maneuvering both his katana blades to slice off its head.

“Any more battling in this room and the whole place is going to collapse on us!” Shute paled as he realized their situation was growing grimmer by the second. The support pillars quivered as the two giant beasts fought and rammed into the walls. Still he clutched his burden as Zero tried to lessen the weight of Star by shifting her more onto his shoulder, but their pace across the room was still far from swift due to the deadweight gundamess.

“ **Jump**!” JunMai screamed as she chucked another spell tag, it glowing brightly before attaching itself onto an ice gargoyle who was just coming to life. As soon as the tag made contact its grew bright before exploding, leaving a cloud of smoke. The creature lurched forward through the smoke, now lacking a head but still ready to fight. Its limbs thrashed around as it grasped blindly for its victims.

“I do believe Miss JunMai is correct! We must jump if we want to escape here with less injuries as well as our lives.” Captain shouted as he tried to give some cover to the fleeing rescue party. “We must go with her original plan.”

“Jump!?” Bakunetsumaru’s pupils grew small upon realization of the order. The musha gundam slowly edged toward the giant hole in the wall where JunMai had entered through. He froze as he looked outside, the snowstorm blowing savagely. What scared him however was the emptiness below. There was nothing but the blindness of snow except for brief gaps that revealed a dark below. It was a sheer drop.

“Just jump!” The orange gundamess screamed once more, barreling into the Blazing Samurai. Instantly Bakunetsumaru let out a yell of terror as both gundam beings tumbled out the window and fell into the white abyss below, the sounds dying away as the howling wind muffled them and the noise of battle above roared over.

“Bakunetsumaru!” Shute exclaimed as his friend disappeared from view. The human could not help loosing his grip on Star as he let go to rush to where the samurai had disappeared. “He can’t fly! How far is that drop!?”

“Shute! Here!” Captain called out as he sliced and kicked an outreaching ice guardian with a bear-like appearance. Quickly the military gundam slide next to the human, extending a hand, “I'll protect you from the impact. My flight boosters should ease our landing a bit.” Shute gave a nod though obviously worried, not sure if Captain would be able to prevent any harm from happening to either one of them.

“Out of my way!” Grappler exclaimed, pushing past the gathering gundams. “If it's between dying up here due to lack of weapons or chance surviving a giant fall, I'll take the fall.” With that he leapt through the hole to the outside. Instantly he flipped around and dug his clawed hand into wall he was falling past. With the sharp claws sunk into the layers of ice and snow coated on the ice fortress' wall, the Axian's decent slowed a bit but he still descended at an accelerated rate, sliding like a cat down a tree.

The small horde of Zako Soldiers took a look back toward the amassing foes and the large one who was still battling with Kazane. They trembled as they looked out the hole but as the savage living ice sculptures neared, the little robots decide to follow their lord’s example. Quickly they huddle together and jumped out the hole in the wall, letting out terrified screams of “Zakooo!” As they fell they formed a ring as if merely skydiving while letting out hysteric screams due to lack of assurance of a safe landing.

“Zero, you won't be able to make it carrying Star too!” GunEagle exclaimed as the rookie backed up to where the others were, eyeing the nearest foes that were still struggling with their spell tag binds. “Even I can't carry another gundam, especially one who is deadweight, even as pretty of a deadweight she is.”

“He's right, Zero. We don't have much time. Perhaps GunEagle could jump with Shute while I take Star since I believe my current form could support her weight. Though I am not entirely sure.”

“I...” Zero began, not sure what to say nor was he able to continue for he was interrupted.

“Me take unconscious lady gundam. Me strong and big enough to carry her.” Dom surprisingly volunteered, the large robot lumbering over. “Fall no biggie.”

“That's mighty charitable of you big guy.” GunEagle commented giving the large robot a quick pat on the arm as it was impossible for the gundam to reach his shoulder by simply standing.

“If D. Dom says he’ll do it, let him do it for sake of your sanity.” Zapper blurted as the burgundy robot tried to work up his courage to jump. “In the meantime, I'm going!!” He then rushed toward the hole and took a flying leap before letting out a terrified scream as he tumbled downward. “I insist that I'm not a lemming!”

“Uh, Captain.” Shute pointed at the binding tags on the ice guardians which were starting to glow and tear. “I think we should go now!”

“Zero, I'm taking Shute down. If you don't follow within five minutes I shall return.” The Winged Knight nodded as Captain stepped toward the hole, Shute wrapping his arms around the military gundam's neck to assure a safe hold. Captain launched himself outside, holding Shute tight as they began their rapid decent, Captain's fight boosters kicking on to counter against the massive gravitational pull.

“Alright Destroyer Dom, you may take Milady Star. Just... be careful with her.” Zero turned toward Dom as he supported Star's weight completely by himself. 

“Dah, I will.” Came the simple reply though as Dom reached down and lifted Star off Zero's shoulder, the usually brutish robot gently grabbing the unconscious gundamess before placing her in the crook of his arms. Star's arm dangled to the side, causing her to look even more lifeless in addition to her dimmed optic screens. 

Securing his hold on the gundamess Dom gave a slow nod to Zero before he too jumped out the window. Zero felt his vocal processors fail him as he watched the two disappear, his Mana Crystal sinking from the mere watch of the plunge. The only thing he could do was hope that everyone was safe and that Dom would keep his word. 

“You go next, Zero. I'll cover you. Besides, shouldn't a man stick with his girl?” GunEagle spoke, surprising the Winged Knight.

“W-what?” Zero stuttered but GunEagle winked before waving the knight to go as Kazane and the giant ice guardian slammed into the ground together, causing the whole room to shake. He was about to protest but instead responded, “Alright, but you'd better be right behind me!”

“Of course! Can't keep a good gundam like me down!”

Zero turned toward the escape route once more. With his Mana Crystal in his chest pounding with anticipation he said a silent prayer to Mana, guiding his thoughts toward his homeland and Princess Rele. Then he jumped, plummeting an unknown distance toward the ground. The chilling wind bit at him, howling in his audio receptors. He kicked on his flight boosters and his decent slowed. 

 

It only took a few seconds for Zero to reach the ground below due to his speed. The icy wind was enough to cause his circuits to ache. The rest of the group was nearby, with JunMai examining Star whom Dom was still holding.  
“How **did** you get up there!?” he gawked, looking up at where they’d come from.

“I climbed and used spell tags to help me float sometimes. I then used an explosive spell tag to break in after tracking where Hoshiko was.” JunMai quickly explained, not delving into details.

“And you were going to jump out with Milady Star all by yourself?”

“I planned on Kazane carrying us out, but I have those floating spell tags, which I used on myself and Bakunetsumaru.” She gestured to the dazed musha, a spell tag still hanging on his forehead where she’d evidently slapped it. “I barely threw one in time on your large friend here to prevent him from making a crater or dropping Hoshiko.”

“A bit of haphazard are we? Could have given us each one beforehand.” Zapper grumped, fortunately having landed in deep snow piled against the base of the fortress but once more having the sensation of ice getting inside his armor. 

“Each tag is a different spell and I only have so many of each. Sorry, I thought most of you had flight means.”

“Quit your whining, the only thing you hurt was your ego.” Grappler barked at Zapper, the blue robot having faired well for himself with his clawed hand. The Zako Soldiers, the first ones down due to their freefall, fortunately landed in freshly fallen snow as well; now they shivered as they endured the freezing outdoor temperature.

“W-w-where is GunEagle?” Shute asked through chattering teeth as the human mentally fought against the winter elements, goggles snuggly over his eyes. Outside the fortress there was no walls or barriers to serve as a shelter against the snow and winds. Even in his attire meant for somewhat severe weather the cold still managed to nip him.

“Look out below!” An all too familiar voice called though it was instantly drowned out by the ferocious icy winds that raged above. Within moments GunEagle's figure was seen descending from above, his beam saber in his hand.

“Phew! What a ride!” The rookie exclaimed as he too landed on the ground, instantly turning off his beam saber as his flight boosters turned off. “Though I think we'd better book it out of here. Your big birdie up there wasn't looking too good right when I leapt out. Plus those freaky ice statues were starting to swarm toward the opening in the wall. I managed to take out a few more though, heh heh.”

“Kazane won't last much longer as the time for the summon is almost up, unless he’s too injured and leaves on his own accord.” JunMai replied, looking up from inspecting Star. “I only summoned him to buy us time and I'll owe him one.”

“Yeah, so I suggest we get out of here before those **freaks** decide to try to join us down here!” Grappler snapped irritably as he shook from the cold as it began to get into his armor and near his circuits.

“What he said and also before we are turned back into giant ice pops again!” Zapper added, trembling as well and looking equally irritable.

“Miss JunMai, is there a shelter nearby we could take refuge in to regroup? We won't fair long in this weather though I am particularly worried about Shute. Humans are unable to bear this sort of weather.” Captain responded, gesturing to the shivering boy. “Also it is urgent that I establish contact with our home world.”

“Anything to get us out of this cold!” Bakunetsumaru exclaimed, not enjoying the weather as he came out of the scared trance from the sudden fall, though JunMai’s floating spell tags had saved him from a hard impact. That and he didn't feel right, the fire within him still seeming different then usual, not feeling its strongest nor warmest. 

“That's my intention; I need to get Hoshiko back to our camp as soon as we can. She's worse off then I thought, I need a healer.” JunMai waved her hand to her unconscious leader. “You are all welcomed to come as I owe you for aiding me with the rescue. But we must be fast as it’s far from here and the enemy will be right on our tail.” 

“I agree our time for short repose is over unless we want to get caught or freeze on the spot.” Zero spoke, knowing that they were vulnerable for any enemy's attack. He could not deny the creeping feeling that not everything was well; particularly the still motionless figure of Star worried him. Would she be all right? Would they be all right in this foreign ice land?

Just then a roar from above caused everyone to freeze.

“I think now would be a good time to play follow the leader.” GunEagle spoke up, pointing upward to indicate the enemy that was somewhere above.

“Alright, let's move!” Captain instructed, giving JunMai the signal to show the way to their only hope of shelter against the forces that the planet threw at them.

“I just hope all you are fast on your feet.” JunMai quickly replied before she gave instructions to Dom to hand Star over to her, not fully trusting the carefulness of the large robot to not drop to Star. “We're going to be fast and honestly I don't think any of you are use to snowy terrains.”

“Oh sure, how hard can running on snow and ice really be?” Grappler smartly retorted as Zero joined JunMai's side to carry Star. “And really, let the big bot carry the deadweight, he's actually good at it.”

Unfortunately Grappler as well as everyone else quickly found out what a true challenge it was to cross the frozen land on open terrain. The roars from the fortress were what hastened their pace as well as their battle against the biting cold. Now it was just a race against time before they all froze to death.

Or were eaten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Visuals~  
> [Star](https://www.deviantart.com/cinnamonroe/art/Star-Galactic-Mage-62496207)  
> [JunMai](https://www.deviantart.com/cinnamonroe/art/SDGF-JunMai-the-Summoner-724961819)  
> [Kazane](https://www.deviantart.com/cinnamonroe/art/Kazane-of-the-Gale-289890931)  
> \--  
> Pop culture refs:
> 
> "Don't blink." - Doctor Who
> 
> -  
> Translations:  
> Tasukete // help  
> Kishi no Tsubasa // Knight of Wings / Wing Knight  
> Rei // Zero  
> Nani-temë // Who do you think you are? (*rude term)  
> Wakarimasu-ka // Do you understand?  
> Gaikokujin // Foreigner ("person from outside the country." *lightly rude term)  
> Baka i-jin // Stupid/Fool alien  
> Nani // What?  
> Uso // Liar/Lie  
> Sawannai-de // Don't touch me!  
> Baka // Idiot/Fool/Stupid  
> Oshaberi // You've got a big mouth!  
> Sonna-no uso-yo // That's a lie!  
> Kaze no Seishin // Spirit of Wind  
> Yojimbo // Bodyguard  
> Kōri no hugo-sha // ice guardians
> 
> \---  
> Credits:  
> Kaon © PumpkinaChai


	6. Wandering in a Winter Disasterland

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having finally escaped the Ice Fortress the group races to find shelter and regroup. Together the ragtag band must brave the harsh winter conditions while toting an unconscious Star. However the weather is not the only thing they should be worried about...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First version of this chapter was posted in 2013 exclusively on my deviantart.
> 
> You can read the PDF version of this on my deviantart [here](http://fav.me/dcdvmgb)

[ ](http://fav.me/dcdvmgb)

The group raced across the icy surface of the planet as fast as their feet could carry them and the weather allowed. Shute had to grip onto Captain’s arm to prevent slipping; even the snow boots that he had been provided with by the Force did not create enough traction to keep him upright. The boy caught himself as he tried to keep the fast pace though he ended up being pulled along like a human sled more than anything. The howls of the wind could not drown out the roars of their unseen pursuers and bits of snow threatened to blind the group.

Bakunetsumaru slipped and hit the ice. “Oof!” He gasped and quickly tried to get up but found standing on ice difficult, having almost no experience in such terrain. He dug one of his twin katanas into the ice to help pull himself up, using it like a ski pole though much to his distaste of dishonoring the sacred blade.

“We have to hurry!” JunMai urged, trying to support Star between her and Zero. The orange gundamess looked worried and panicked. “The diversion won’t last for long!” Her green tinged turquoise ribbons flapped rapidly in the wind while Zero looked with concern at the unconscious Star, still no sign of response.

“Well, that’s not OUR fault! Maybe you should have one of the big **strong** gundams help carry your friend!” Grappler snapped back his tone full of his usual hostility and sarcasm as the blue Axian tried not to slip. “Or use those floating paper things of yours.”

Meanwhile the Zako Soldiers had somehow managed to learn how to direct their sliding so they skidded in a line, as if performing synchronized skating. A Zako accidentally smacked into Grappler, causing him to flail his arms to maintain his balance. A husky laugh was heard from behind. 

“Fun, isn’t it?” came the deep monotone voice, though Grappler just muttered to himself, glad he had his clawed hand attachment instead of his missile arm to use as an ice pick if it was called for. Without the other attachment he was less tempted by the thought of shooting those who annoyed him in the face.

Dom laughed again but kept pace. He could speed along the ice with ease thanks to the traction on his feet but cracking sounds underneath the large robot’s weight was what caused him to be in the back of the line as a precaution.

“I can’t use those tags as the spells have been depleted! I have to replenish them.”

“Don’t worry, babe!” GunEagle replied to JunMai, flying a few feet above the ground, an unusual thing for the aerial gundam, but the freezing winds threatened to freeze up his fuel cells if he gained any more altitude or completely stopped using them. He winked at JunMai, “You’ve got the swiftest of the Force on your side!” 

The gundamess rolled her brown eyes in turn and muttered something but shouldered Star’s arm once more. Zero glanced at her and tried to support more of Star’s weight, silent about protesting that she was carrying Star rather than Dom. He knew code among comrades and felt the need himself. It was a sense of duty and guilt.

“I’m tired of all this snow and ice! I’m starting to think being back in that fortress was better!” Zapper growled, rubbing his arms as his circuits were still defrosting from his encasement in ice though being exposed to the outside winter weather was not helping. “I say we should have held our ground and fought.”

“And yet you bailed as soon as you got the chance. Then again it looked like you all were handling yourselves just **fine** when we arrived.” GunEagle jabbed with humor.

“Well, **excuse** us for being held captive!” Grappler snarled at the rookie.

“As far as I can tell, we were sadly unprepared.” Bakunetsumaru muttered, as he pulled himself along, feeling like a beaten dog.

“Is the only thing you all are good for is arguing?” JunMai snapped, her anxiety and annoyance showing.

“How much further is it to your hideout?” Shute cut in, asking through chattering teeth, wishing now that he had heavy Arctic explorer gear to brace the unnatural cold. The weather on Kendra was far worse than anyone had thought and being out in the open to full icy exposure made things worse. 

Captain glanced at the boy, quickly running scans. “Yes, Miss JunMai, I am concerned about Shute’s health. His genetic makeup is not meant for such type of weather and I fear he may soon face certain fatigue. Though regrouping in a safe place quickly as to form a counterattack possible is top priority.” 

Before JunMai could answer there was a thundering roar, causing the whole group to freeze in place. The Zako Soldiers all tried to stop but the little green robots ended up slamming into Dom and piled up together in a heap, making little squeals of terror. Slowly they peeped out from behind the large robot, shaking.

“Dah, what’s that? Not sound like live statues.”

JunMai whipped her head around to look behind, her pupils small. Her free hand was instantly holding spell tags. “Oh, no.”

Zero stared at her, his teal eyes full of confusion and concern. “What is it!?” Instantly the Winged Knight felt a compulsion to summon his Buster Sword and call on the power of Mana but he kept gripping Star. “Is it the ice guardians?”

“We have to get out of here, NOW.”

“Why? What’s coming?” Shute stuttered, now shaking from nervousness as well as cold. Maybe stopping was not a good idea as given then exposed area.

Suddenly something burst out of the ground about half a mile away. The long object snapped its jaws that were lined with rows of sharp teeth.

“Whoa, what is **that**!?” GunEagle exclaimed in awe, staring at the large creature.

“Ice crawler!” JunMai cried, looked horrified.

“What? They’re dangerous!?” Shute yelled, hoping that it happened to be just a wild animal that only **looked** hostile.

“Obviously **yes** if the native reacts like **that**!” Grappler snapped, instantly increasing his speed. A chain of Zako Soldiers formed as they hooked onto the blue robot. However, the extra weight caused Grappler to fall over once more.

“We should stand and fight it!” Bakunetsumaru announced, pulling one katana out of the ice, ready to use it for its true purpose. The musha’s GunSoul was humming, his fighting spirit ready to be unleashed.

“Yeah! There’s no way I’m running this time!” GunEagle agreed, instantly pulling out his beam rifle from where he had strapped it to his back. “Watch me take down this loser in one shot!”

“Me make it go boom.” Dom nodded, though he was still without a weapon.

“Chances of beating that creature in our current situation is not good!” Zero objected, “There is no where for us to get cover and this is its home terrain.” He felt a pang of panic spark through him.

“Just shut your mouths and move! We can’t risk anyone else getting injured.” JunMai instructed, panic once more obviously forming in her brown eyes. “They track through scent and tremors! We’re stuck either way if we stand still or run!” 

“So we’re sinking ducks either way!?” Bakunetsumaru cried out, though Shute didn’t attempt to correct his malapropism this time. 

“Maybe it won’t notice us.” Zapper suggested, a hopeful expression on his face.

Just then, the ice monster turned its head toward their direction and let out a roar.

“Too late! Run!” Shute screamed and the group instantly started running even faster. The ice crawler let out another roar before diving back into the frozen surface of the ground and headed for them, looking like a shark skimming the water's surface as the ice cracked.

Bakunetsumaru let out a yelp as the sound of breaking ice filled the air as he ran, rapidly moving his katanas as ice picks, trying not to slip. “I sure wish I had the Bakushin Armor with me! I’d burn that creature to a crisp!” 

“Or you’d defrost this whole plant and end up drowning us instead!” Grappler pointed out as he ran, slipping. Zapper and the Zakos were purposely sliding to increase their speed though they were having trouble with direction. They shot past Grappler, leaving him behind. Dom proceeded to speed along and the cracking of ice behind him continued, though it was no comparison to the splitting caused by the monster.

GunEagle kept his pace in the middle, hovering. He glanced behind to watch the ice crawler rise and fall out of the ground as it chased them, looking like a whale breeching the surface; though truthfully it was more like the inching of a caterpillar—a vicious caterpillar. “Man, these things sure are ugly!”

“We’ll be that thing’s meal in a minute if we don’t get out of here!” Zapper hollered as he slid ahead. The wind was unfortunately blowing against them, pushing them toward the ice crawler.

“We need to take cover!” Captain said, grabbing Shute’s arm as the boy’s foot slipped, almost causing him to fall.

“But we’re not near any above ground caverns! Our hideout is too far away! We’ll be caught if we stop!” JunMai’s voice strained as she tried to keep pace while still holding onto Star. 

“Well honestly if we shed a little deadweight-"

JunMai’s eyes flashed as she looked at Grappler, “I am not leaving Hoshiko! If you all want to fight, go ahead! But I am not dying here!”

“Well then, I guess there’s no choice but to hold it off until you guys are safe!” GunEagle twirled his beam rifle. “Call it a hero’s sacrifice.”

“Are you insane!? JunMai demanded glancing back at him. “We need all the able bodies we have! Who knows how long it will take for you to recover if you get hurt!”

“But you just said-”

“We’ll never make it at this rate! We have to-” Bakunetsumaru began.

“It’s 100 meters and enclosing!” Captain hollered, cutting the musha off, his scanner analyzing the rapidly decreasing distance between them and the ice crawler. He whipped around, pushing Shute behind him as he took a battle stance, pulling out his beam rod. “Shute, go with the others! GunEagle and I will buy you time.”

“Captain!” Shute cried out as he stumbled backward.

“You’re all _baka_!” JunMai yelled, looking furious, the translation magic apparently slipping.

“Who cares and let’s just go!” Zapper shouted as he and the Zakos kept running and sliding. Suddenly the ice in front of them exploded causing the Zakos to scream and try to stop sliding. There was another roar as two more ice crawlers emerged from the ice.

“Whoa! **Whoa**!” Grappler slammed into Zapper, knocking them both over.

“Quick! This way!” JunMai turned to the right but suddenly another ice crawler burst from the ice.

“We’re surrounded!!” Shute yelled, staring in horror at the nearest crawler. The boy trembled as the giant creature swung its head around, opening its large maw, exposing its rows of icicle like teeth.

“We’re going to all die! And without putting up a decent fight!” Zapper cried out, “I say we were better off as ice sculptures!”

“Dah, ice pops.” Dom commented, showing no real fear of the large monsters. All the Zako Soldiers shrieked and looked panicked, running around like scared elmechus.

“As if I’d let an overgrown worm take me down! No one's going to corner me!” GunEagle took aim at one of the creature’s heads, squeezing the trigger. However, the rifle didn’t fire. The rookie look surprised for a moment before exclaiming. “My gun’s jammed! The mechanisms and circuits are frozen! I thought it could handle these temperatures!”

“Well maybe you should have done some calibrations!” Grappler snapped, knowing he didn't stand a chance in battle against these monsters.

All the ice crawlers roared in unison, snapping their jaws as they swayed back and forth, apparently confirming their prey’s location. Then they all lunged, their maws wide open, ready to swallow the small band.

Zero thrust his hand toward the sky. “Super Magical I-Field!” The Winged Knight felt magic surge within him due to his pact with Mana and the atmosphere around him change. However some of his energy was instantly sapped, which startled him as Mana did not demand such a large tribute from its user. 

The area above him instantly glowed blue and a ring appeared with multiple swords. The glow expanded rapidly, the swords spinning quickly and outward. All of the ice crawlers hit the forcefield with large impact, causing them to roar in pain and fury as their heads bounced off.

“Quick thinking, Zero!” Shute looked somewhat relieved, though he was still pale and panic stricken.

However, the triumph was short lived when the ice crawlers attacked again, slamming into the forcefield once more. The ground around them shook as a fracture appeared while the ice crawlers hammered into the forcefield, slamming the magic barrier into the ice. The ground sprayed up chunks of ice and snow as a deep moaning sound rang out.

Before anyone could react, the ice beneath them crumbled as an ice creeper did another headbutt. The forcefield remained up but the earth disintegrated, causing everyone to fall into the deep crevice that appeared. Several of the ice creepers roared as the ice around them cracked too, suddenly breaking apart, leaving nothing but an abyss beneath. Everyone screamed and cried out as they fell, the sky quickly disappearing from sight as Zero’s forcefield dissipated. 

Shute scrunched his eyes close, preferring not to see the ground rushing up at him when and if they hit the ground beneath the frozen surface they had just fallen from. He was able to see an ice crawler fall past the group however, the creature still snapping its jaws at them though it was helpless in midair before he shut his eyes.

“Now we’re going to be pancakes!” Grappler hollered as he fell, the blue robot looking rather annoyed more than distraught.

“Haha, this is fun!” Dom chuckled, “Me want syrup with my pancakes.”

Zapper looked too sick to tell the large robot to shut up while the Zako Soldiers simply flapped their arms rapidly in a vain attempt to fly.

“Hold on, Shute!” Captain called out, the military gundam managing to get near the human and grab him, pulling him close as they fell. Captain attempted to fire up his flight boosters, causing jerking motions as they turned on and off, slightly slowing their decent.

“Stick together! We can make it!” JunMai shouted back, authority surprisingly sounding in her voice.

Within moments, any source of light disappeared and the group fell into complete darkness, into the unknown, falling to certain death.

*~*~*

Shute slowly opened his eyes, letting out a low moan. He had lost consciousness a few minutes into the fall due to the intense air pressure and velocity that they were descending. The boy blinked his green eyes, trying to see but his vision was blurry.

“Shute, are you alright?” Captain asked, the military robot standing next to him. The boy let out a cough and nodded, reaching up to remove his goggles in order to rub his eyes. Nothing felt broken except for some soreness due to some bumps and bruises.

“Where are we?” 

“More importantly, how are we alive!?” Grappler snapped, the blue robot looking perfectly all right though still sounding annoyed.

“It was the snow.” Captain replied, his scanner down over his eye as he looked around. “There is a thick blanket of the powdery substance which softened our landing as it absorbed the impact of our landing. If there was not such a large amount of it, I fear we would have had some serious injuries.”

“Well, that's good news for us, but didn't one of those disgusting ice worms fall down too? Suppose it's fine too! ”

“Dah, over here!” Dom's deep voice rang out. Everyone turned to see the large robot standing near what appeared to be a long wall of snow that was cracked and falling apart. Only when they spotted a gaping hole with icicles hanging from it did they realize that is was the ice crawler.

“W-what is it?” Shute was afraid to go closer though the monster appeared dead. The Zako Soldiers evidently felt the same as they hid behind Dom, shoving one Zako forward to inspect the ice creature. The little robot shook as it looked at the snowy worm though it appeared more like a monstrous snake. The rest of the Zakos called out encouraging words, urging their companion on though they were all shaking.

“Go ahead, zako.”

“I-it's dead, zako. 

“See what it is, zako.”

“You can do it, zako.”

“We're counting on you, zako!”

The scout Zako stood trembling, looking back at his companions who waved it forward from their hiding place behind the large Axian lord. It turned around, its lone pink eyes staring at the open maw of the ice creature. Just as it reached out with a shaking hand to prod the creature a chunk fell, landing in front of the little robot. The robot shrieked and dashed back to the rest of the Zakos who started screaming as well.

“W-what’s going on?” Shute asked, unsure how to react as parts of the ice crawler began to break off and crumble to the ground. Within moments, the once fearsome creature was a harmless heap of snow and ice. The only indicator of what it had been was the long icicle teeth in a pile near a bump in the snow where the head had been.

“Dark magic.” JunMai wheezed, looking shaken as she climbed out of a snow pile. “They are not natural animals of our planet. When our tyrant _Akuma No Ou_ , the Demon King, took over our planet became frigid and lifeless. The magic within the Planet's Core became corrupt and gave birth to these: creatures of ice and snow that appear to be alive. As you can see though, they are not invincible.”

“Well, at least they can be killed.” Grappler commented, looking relieved at the revelation of the creature's death. “I hate those magic crap things that can't be killed.”

“They are hard to kill. We're lucky the stupid, heartless thing fell from such a great height. Gravity and its size was its undoing. The damage to its body was too much for the magic to knit back together.” 

“If you say is true,” Captain began as he scanned the now lifeless heap of ice and snow. “Then if it were truly alive, it is accurate to conclude its organs would have collapsed and its internal structure was crushed.” 

“Only we are dealing with magic.” Shute solemnly replied, knowing that sometimes magic could not be explained nor bound to the laws of science. 

The orange gundamess limped over to the snow pile, holding one of her paper seals. She waved it in front of her in a strange pattern, murmuring before tossing it at the former monster. The paper appeared attracted to it like a magnet, instantly attaching itself to the icy heap. At once the symbols on the paper began to glow.

After a few moments the paper stopped glowing, instead pulsing lightly. JunMai limped over closer and picked up the glowing seal carefully.

“What'd you do?” Shute asked, no longer shivering badly since the icy winds now blew high above them, the crevice’s tall walls blocking them. “Are you okay?”

“I absorbed the remnants of the magic into this spell tag so I can use it for energy.” JunMai replied, holding up the paper that was still pulsing. “You gotta salvage what you can to survive this place.”

“Survive? Bah! How are we supposed to do that? We're who knows how far from the surface, stuck in a giant hole with no way out with crazy magical monsters literally above our heads!” Grappler snapped, waving his clawed hand toward the sky for emphasis.

“Wait a minute! Where's Bakunetsumaru, Zero, and GunEagle?” Shute exclaimed, realizing that the other gundams had not said a word.

“Not to mention Miss Star and Zapper Zaku.” Captain added, roving his gaze around the air in hopes of spotting the rest of the group members.

“They fall that a-way.” Dom responded, pointing while his small band of Zako Soldiers stared in that direction, shivering at the unknown. 

Just as they started in that direction, a commotion was heard, prompting the small group, particularly the gundams and Shute, to hurry.

“Get off me! You're an aerial gundam! Shouldn't you have flown when we fell?” Bakunetsumaru's voice cut through the air, irritation obvious in his tone. “Using a warrior of Ark as a cushion for your landing is unacceptable!”

“Hey now! It's not my fault! My fuel cells are just about frozen! And you're not exactly the most comfortable chair around either!” GunEagle's voice countered. “Besides I didn't mean to hurt your back!”

“Who says my back is hurting?”

“You're pressing your hand to it like an old gundam with aged armor.”

“Are you disrespecting your elders!? Don't speak ill of those who are aged with wisdom!”

“Whoa, someone is sure cranky over taking a tumble.”

“Guys! Are you alright!?” Shute exclaimed as soon as the two gundams came into view. Sure enough Bakunetsumaru was rubbing his back while GunEagle stood there shaking his head. Immediately the Blazing Samurai straightened, acting as if he were fine despite giving a wince as soon as he moved. “Where's Zero?”

“Hoshiko! Where's Hoshiko?” JunMai demanded, her brown eyes wide with fear as she stared at the two gundams. Bakunetsumaru shook his head while GunEagle gave a casual shrug of his shoulders.

Fortunately any cause for worry was immediately taken care of.

“Would **someone** get her off of me!?” An all too familiar voice suddenly cut in. “It ain't like a sack of feathers you know!” Everyone rushed around an ice wall to find Zapper laying face first on the ground, thrashing his arms and legs as a still unconscious Star was on top of him in a sort of heap.

“Well that's **one** more gundam accounted.” Grappler sneered though he was obviously amused by Zapper's humiliating state. JunMai hastened over to the two though her limp became more obvious. 

“Hey, big guy.” GunEagle spoke, waving to Dom. “Help give the lady a hand! Moving a gundam isn't an easy thing you know.”

“How thoughtful of you.” Bakunetsumaru murmured though the samurai was otherwise quiet, still brooding over his aching back.

“Dah.” Dom replied, surprisingly complying as he lumbered over to where his comrade lay, earning him an audio receiver full of verbal abuse for him to hurry up.

“I suggest we all do a basic systems check to make sure we are all fine after our battle as well as our fall. Diagnostics are vital.” Captain spoke, adding, “However we must locate Zero first. He is the only one unaccounted for.”

“Zer-!” Shute began to shout but was cut off.

“I'm right here.” The Winged Knight spoke as he approached from behind Bakunetsumaru and GunEagle. “I apologize for the worry. I was saved somewhat of a tumble as my flight boosters kicked on, but some debris from above hit me. I am ashamed to say I lost my grip on Lady Star.” It was obvious that the Lacroa gundam was not completely unscathed, scratches lightly adorning his armor as well as some clumps of ice that clung to him.

“Yeah and dumped her on me, **literally**!” Zapper exclaimed, frowning deeply and glaring at Zero with his lone pink eye as Dom lifted Star up while JunMai gave him instructions. Once he was free the burgundy Axian lord was on his feet and furious looking, though his seething looks were mainly at Grappler who seemed to pretend for a moment not to notice.

While JunMai began her examination of Star, Captain began his own to inspect the other group members. Shute was fine except for some minor bruises and thankfully minimal exposure to the extreme cold. Out of the gundams GunEagle seemed to be the best in shape, literally getting away unscathed; the aerial gundam even strutted around a bit to help emphasize his wellbeing. Meanwhile Bakunetsumaru tried to dismiss an examination but froze as a spasm of pain ran up his back, allowing Captain enough time to complete a scan. 

“Hm, it appears you have some internal bruising, Baku. Though I did not know musha gundams had the ability to bruise.”

“You'd be surprise to find out just what we can and can't do.” The Blazing Samurai grumbled as he rubbed his back, eyeing GunEagle, “Such as disintegrating another gundam...”

“Forget you, I think I need a stretcher!” Zapper snapped as he too rubbed his backside as he took a break from trying to hobble over to Grappler in order to punch him. In turn Grappler looked smug, barely resisting the urge to push over his aching comrade.

“And here you call yourselves warriors.” Zero shook his head as he finished brushing the snow from his armor. The Winged Knight gestured with his right hand, “If it bothers you that much I can apply some healing magic. It will at least take away the pain since I only have basic medical magic abilities.”

“Well, out of the Axian bunch everyone is fine except for Zapper.” Captain replied, gesturing to the scowling Zapper.

“Yeah, well you try having hundreds of pounds of gundamium land right on your back! And here I thought the females of the specie were supposed to be lighter!” The burgundy robot snapped, pointing an accusing finger at the unconscious Star.

“Actually, in certain species such as for birds of prey and spiders the female is bigger then the male.” Captain informed as various databases were accessed in response to Zapper's statement. “Also-” 

“Uh, Captain, I don't think the science lesson is going to help right now.” Shute interrupted waving his hand in dismissal. “I'm just glad we don't have more serious injures. I thought I'd break something for sure, let alone live.”

“What a shame.” Grappler sneered, flexing the metal claw fingers on his left hand. However the blue robot went ignored, causing him to roll his pink eye as he muttered other rude comments.

“Miss JunMai, I believe you should also be scanned. I would like to examine the damage to your leg more thoroughly as I noticed your limp.” Captain spoke to the orange gundamess as she still knelt over Star. When she did not reply, the military tried again, realizing that the gundamess had heard nothing. “Miss JunMai?”

“Huh?” She finally responded, her head jerking up to look at Captain. However within a few moments her brown gaze was back on Star. She uttered some words that sounded like they were from her native language. After a moment she spoke in the group's language, “This isn't good. We have to get her to the camp immediately.”

As if hearing the dismal words, distant roars came from above causing Shute turn with a worried look toward JunMai. “Can they get down here?”

“No and yes. Mainly the crawlers stay near the surface but they can burrow deeper and into these underground tunnels and caverns. They even dug some of the tunnels so mapping them has been a challenge because they constantly change from cave-ins caused by the beasts’ movements. However if they really were interested in us they would be on their way down here right now.” JunMai replied, not bothering to look at the human as she rested a hand on the orb on Star's chest as if feeling for a pulse.

Captain turned his attention to the surface, “I estimate the probability an attack is 73.28%. Staying here would certainly increase our likelihood. We have to keep moving to avoid them and reach the camp in time before Miss Star gets possibly worse.”

“I agree, plus Hoshiko not gaining conscious yet worries me. I can't do much for her here as I am not a healer.” 

“She told me that her energy was being drained.” Zero quietly informed, joining JunMai's side to look at the motionless Star.

“Such is the fate of those who are captured by the Demon King... He steals their energy and magic to fuel his own power and ambitions. I took too long to rescue Hoshiko and now she's in this state! I am a failure as a second in command and as a friend!” The orange gundamess' hands curled into fists. “I had confidence I could do this alone but because of that arrogance my closest friend-”

“It's not your fault.” Zero gently interrupted. “If only I had remembered her calls for help sooner we could have rescued Milady Star before she reached this state. I was weak and your tyrant made me forget. I am the one to blame, not you... but I do not understand, she responded when we rescued her. Was that the last of her strength?”

“What's your connection to Hoshiko?” JunMai eyed Zero suspiciously, obviously cautious that a seeming stranger was familiar with her friend. Though her gaze had turned hard toward she murmured, “No one is to blame but that monster.”

“I'm not sure. I suppose because of my pact with Mana I was able to hear her. She mentioned something about my Mana and her Ki…”

“Mana?”

“The force of all living things in the universe. I can harness its energy to perform various feats such as healing, forcefields, summoning-”

“Flowers or bananas.” Bakunetsumaru interjected, earning a glare from the knight who continued.

“-various items like my Buster Sword and such.”

“It sounds like Ki, but we harness our own energy and that of the Planet’s Core. We must rely on own strength through training and on our SoulCores to use magic as they link us to the Planet’s Core.” JunMai pointed to the orb in her chest. “Mage gundams master their own ki to perform magic that is their particular talent and power.”

“Perhaps our magics are related as Mana could very well include Ki.” 

“But why did you hear her call and not fellow Kendrians? Two magics don't meet together with ease unless there is a greater purpose. There has to be a bigger connection.”

“I-” Zero began but stopped, a memory surfacing as his processors whirled. “She said something about _kibou hoshi_.” 

JunMai let out a low gasp though her gaze was still full of skepticism. “ _Kibou Hoshi_?... She called you **the** Hope Star?” 

“I believe so. She said I’m the one to help Kendra and called me that.”

“What is this _Kibou Hoshi_? Or as you said, Hope Star?” Captain inquired, “An unknown entity who appeared in our dimension used that term also.”

“As the name says, if I am translating it right to your language.” JunMai replied, still looking at Zero with a mixed expression. “It is our star of hope.”

“That's what Lady Star called it.”

“Sounds to me like something important. Wait a minute, don't tell me Zero is part of a prophecy of some kind!” GunEagle exclaimed waving a hand at the Winged Knight.

“Zero's already part of a prophecy in Lacroa. Could he be part of another one too, on another planet?” Shute’s eyes widened as he echoed GunEagle's remark.

“It's not really a prophecy. More like a promise that has become legend here on Kendra. Should there come a dire need on the planet a being, or beings, shall appear and help Kendrians rise up. That savior is a shining star to those lost in the darkest of times, full of hope. That is the Hope Star.” JunMai informed, looking pensive. 

“You sound a little skeptical.” Bakunetsumaru observed, watching her.

“Well, Kendra has rarely had a time where its inhabitants needed help against some oppressive force. There are some legends about past _Kibou Hoshi_ such as one who helped settled a war between different factions of mage gundams and another who even helped tame the ancestors of Kendra’s large wild beasts. But even when the Dark Axis attacked us a few months ago, no _Kibou Hoshi_ was needed; we fended them off with the help of the Planet's Core. By lore the Core would be who chooses the _Kibou Hoshi_.”

“Whoa, wait a moment. The Dark Axis?” GunEagle quickly seized the moment to interject. “But those losers disbanded a year or so ago when we kicked their can, it couldn’t have been them. The only ones remaining are that sorry bunch whom I could beat all by myself.” He gestured to the group’s Axians.

“Hey, who you calling a sorry bunch?” Grappler snapped, flexing his clawed hand. “You never took the three of us down in a fight, let alone fought us. If I remember correctly you always dealt with the small fries.”

“Don't be lumping me together with these lugnuts!” Zapper protested, stomping his foot. “We're former comrades that were ordered to work together for the sake of the mission. Now we're just cursed with being in the same area as one another!”

“Dah, me want a bunch of weapons.” Dom drawled though Grappler smacked him to shut the bigger robot up.

“ **You're** from the Dark Axis?” JunMai grabbed for spell tags tucked in her sash. “How stupid of me, the one eye is a clear indicator! First I assumed the Demon King had hired mercenaries or enslaved some beings from another dimension but you insisted you weren’t… To think he’s allied with the Dark Axis!” 

The gundamess held multiple spell tags as she edged away from the group, “I was so caught up with rescuing Hoshiko and fending off the ice guardians that I believed you! I didn’t want to be presumptuous but you tricked me into collaborating with the enemy-”

“Wait! Wait, wait!” Shute quickly protested, waving his hands as he stepped between the gundamess and robots. “It's okay! They're **former** Dark Axis, as GunEagle said! They're not part of that group anymore! They even helped us during the final battle against the Dark Axis’ leader, General Zeong; they now peacefully reside in Ark, the homeland of Bakunetsumaru!” The human boy quickly explained, “They've turned over a new leaf, honest!”

“I wasn’t aware the Dark Axis planned on invading a dimension like this. There’s nothing to gain from this frozen rock you call a planet except gundamium, which Zeong would have demanded. What idiot headed that operation?” Grappler kicked a chunk of ice. “Besides I won't turn over a new anything that's organic, human. Even if my Dark Axis ties have been cut that won't change my view on disgusting organics.”

Captain estimated now was best to intervene before things escalated, “Miss JunMai, I assure you as leader of the Gundam Force we mean no harm. These Axians were captured by the Demon King until we rescued them, but we know them. We, the SDG, came to aid in freeing your home from this evil as we have done so for others.”

“We did not mean to deceive, Milady JunMai. We’ve only told the truth.” Zero urged, holding his hands up to show he had no intent to attack. “My apologies.”

“That’d better be the truth as I don’t have time to deal with deception.” The orange gundamess shot a look at Grappler and company, “Just because you've changed alliances doesn't mean your nature will follow. As for you,” She pointed at GunEagle, “I know who we fought; it was the Dark Axis. There’s no mistaking it with them yelling ‘for the glory of the Dark Axis’ all the time. Plus they all that those lone pink eyes!” 

“Hey it could have been an honest mistake.” The rookie tried to soothe. 

“You don't forget an opponent when you’re protecting your home. It was only six months ago that we fought them. After three brutal months they finally withdrew. Scarcely a month later as we started to rebuild our war-ravaged and magically drained world the Demon King struck. And here we are today, two months under that monster’s rule and my kind is in hiding or captured while our world dies.”

“Six months ago? That means they withdrew from Kendra around when we were on Kaon!” Shute exclaimed, quickly forming a timeline in his head.

“When I was in the No-Man’s-Zone the one who healed me said something about the Dark Axis as well. If it was Lady Star is makes sense she was talking about the invasion, though she was rather cryptic then.” Zero pondered, rubbing his chin.

“Perhaps it is coincidence about the Dark Axis.” Bakunetsumaru suggested, finishing a few discreet backstretches. “Besides, I suppose there is a possibility the entity of this world or whatever really has decided to select Zero to be its savior too.”

“Either way, I'm here now. We all are. Though I think Lady Star called me kibou hoshi out of optimism stemming from Kendra's lore.” The Winged Knight replied, “But I still don’t understand why I heard her call so late.”

“What?” JunMai’s attention was recaptured for the moment. 

“I heard her plea for help only a few weeks ago. However due to the Demon King's interference I could not remember until yesterday, but you say you've been under the fiend’s rule for two months? She’s been captive this whole time?”

“Hoshiko wasn't captured until almost a month ago. I was hurt and I couldn't go to save her until today due to my injuries. I had to venture back to our camp in harsh weather conditions; once I was healed I headed out again as the weather broke.”

“But I thought you said you had a camp? Surely there are others to help.”

“Some do not have fighting capabilities. Besides I do not want to risk losing more to becoming **his** trophies or enslaved. Once that demon appeared our numbers dwindled quickly because we were unprepared for another attack; since then it's been about surviving. It was during a venture to rescue some prisoners out of the fortress that we were ambushed and the Demon King captured Hoshiko... I barely got away.”

Seeing JunMai’s obvious distress and shame Zero switched topics, “May I ask about her name? Part of it sounds like kibou hoshi, does it mean star as well? She told me her name was of heavenly bodies and kept saying look to the stars so I assumed…”

“You are correct. _Hoshi_ means star while Hoshiko is the name for a female; roughly it means star child. That is if I’m translating correctly, pending the Planet's Core still has enough magic to help me understand. Some things may not translate well.”

“What is this Planet's Core? You called it the heart of Kendra earlier but is it simply the planet's center or something that is alive? What is its nature?” Captain inquired, almost done with his examination of Star as his scans neared completion.

“The Planet's Core, or rather _Wakusei Kakushin_ , or simply _Tama_ , is the center of Kendra, the containment of all the magic of our world. It is alive though its conscious is not quite like ours. It is essentially a large version of our _kakushin_ : our SoulCores that house our _tamashii_.” JunMai explained, touching the purple orb in her chest.

“As I mentioned earlier, we can use it to link with the planet and channel its energy to bend to our will by using Ki, our own energy. Some use it for summoning while others use it as another gift such as make planets grow or command the elements. It depends on how the power manifests though most of us mage gundams have at least one summon spirit as a rite of passage.” A flash of sorrow flickered in her brown eyes but quickly faded away as the gundamess turned her attention toward her companions.

“I suppose the Planet's Core is a bit like the Spirit Fountain in Lacroa, my homeland. It is the giver of life and is teeming with magic. I reckon it can be considered a center point of Mana.” Zero explained, beginning to wonder just how similar Kendra and Lacroa were to one another.

“So the main inhabitants here on Kendra are gundams?” Bakunetsumaru inquired.

“We are considered the top sentinel beings but there is a variety of fauna including our summons. Kendra is mostly a water planet hence its frozen state but we have plenty of land. However the magic properties of the Planet's Core allows us to bend magic to meet our living needs. Certain phenomenon occur as well such as a body of water suspended in midair or magic crafted corridors through the water that allow you to perceive from all directions as if you were in a room made of glass.

“As for our summons: while we can tame some creatures and form a pact with them here on Kendra most companions are not native. The one you saw earlier, Kazane, is from another world. Kazane is unable to exist here unless my summon is activated though if he so chose he could use his own power to live here.” 

“Let me guess, your gift is summoning and that means you have a whole arsenal of these oh so lovely organic creatures.” Grappler sneered only to be rewarded with a pointed look from JunMai. She lightly fingered a seal tag to which the robot eyed with heated caution but held his tongue.

“That is why my name is JunMai: Obedient Dance. I channel my magic through dance that then summons the creature I seek. I have a handful of various beasts to aid me in various things. Mind you, our summons are not strictly for collection and battle. They are our friends and even pets though we benefit them just as they do us. When we perform a pact it is a form of relationship; we must turn over some of our energy so they can exist in this world and form conditions with them. Some summons are far more simpler where you tame the summoned beast and command it, but others are far more intelligent and will turn on you if you disrespect them.”

“Kendra really does sound like an amazing place.” Shute replied, yearning to see some of the wonders JunMai had described.

“Yes, it is. I'm just sorry your first experience has been so poorly and that you have to see it like this.” The gundamess gestured to the ice walls all around them. “I'm certain you would have loved the Races...”

“Well, once we kick that Achoo ma Noi out of here, I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to get to know the place.” GunEagle chimed in, edging closer to JunMai. “And perhaps a bit of something else.”

“Yes, once the _Akuma no Ou_ is gone you'll love it here.” JunMai briskly replied, ignoring the flirting. “First there will be language lessons. I know some great teachers who will refine your comprehension.”

“Oh good, because I'm already planning my return trip since this first one has already been so pleasant.” Zapper griped, “The accommodations were certainly lacking but the hospitality was just **top notch**.”

“That will be our top priority once we save the world and actually survive.” JunMai sarcastically replied, “Because we want the Dark Axis to be **so** welcomed.”

“Hey, that's **former** Dark Axis to you!” Grappler pointed at her, “We were not part of that sorry bunch who lost trying to conquer this **dump**!”

“No, you were part of that bunch that got their sorry cans kicked by moi and my amigos when you tried to conquer Neotopia.” GunEagle chipped in. His snide remark seemed to amuse JunMai though she was still not impressed. “Not to mention failing in conquering Ark and losing Lacroa.”

“This isn't helping.” Shute warned, watching the tension grow.

“Dah, in da past.” Dom bellowed, clapping his hands down onto his two comrade's shoulders. “Me miss making big booms but no more. Dark Axis gone, we work for Genkimaru now. Ark our home.”

“You don't have to remind me!” Grappler spat, attempting to shrug away but found himself unable due to Dom's iron like grip. “I'm just teaching these disrespecting gundams some manners!”

“Hah! Manners, as if you could do that.” Zapper scoffed, smirking mockingly.

“Well, excuuuse **me**!” Grappler snapped, his sarcasm obvious. “As if you could do better! You're the poster bot for uncouthness as well as being a CPUless bot!”

“Guys...” Shute called out but the two Axians were loudly at it. The human boy sighed and gave up. Zapper and Grappler were sure to be worse than Bakunetsumaru and Zero since the robots would resort to violence to resolve their dispute once their verbal confrontation had reached its peak of abuse.

“Would you all just be **silent** for **one** moment!?” Zero suddenly exclaimed, obviously annoyed as the light pain and fatigue he felt was slowly draining his energy as well as patience. “We don't have time to argue! We need everyone's strength if we're going to defeat the Demon King. We have to be in this together if we're going to survive this place.”

“Zero's right.” Bakunetsumaru came to the aid of his friend. “Arguing isn't going to solve anything. Time is slipping by and we're just tiring of one another's presence. Just because you're fatigued or afraid doesn't mean you should take it out on a comrade! That's one of the essential rules of being a warrior! If you turn against your comrade in a disagreement what's to stop you from going one step further?”

Silence enveloped the group as a sense of shame came over them. Gazes were immediately adverted as guilt was shifted from one to the other like a game of hot potato. 

“You know, coming from a hothead like you, that really hurts.” GunEagle complained though he agreed with the musha's words. 

“Zero and Bakunetsumaru are correct.” Captain spoke, stealing the samurai's chance for a retort. “Time is of the essence. We have a wounded comrade and we are without a base camp. The enemy could converge on us at any moment, but we are wasting time by fighting our allies. I know we have all been thrown together but can we collaborate until we get somewhere safe? Can we not call a truce? We all share a common enemy.” The military gundam's strong blue gaze shifted to every member in the group, earning him a few subtle nods.

“I hate to say it but I don't think we can do this without you; **I** can't do this without you, especially if one or all of you are truly _Kibou Hoshi_.” JunMai spoke first, “My people are scattered and our fighters are scarce. Honestly I am not sure what to do but I know once Hoshiko is healed things will work out. I agree with the _taichou_ and I apologize. The past is the past and my grievance is not with you.”

“So kind of you.” Grappler mumbled but earned an elbowing from Zapper, who as much as he hated to admit it, agreed with what had been said.

“Hey, we're all in this together so I say we make the best of it. We're just going to go insane in this place faster if we let it get to us. I for one want to get off the ground.” GunEagle looked up but could barely make out the opening at the fissure’s top.

“Says the gundam who obviously has cabin fever.” Zapper muttered but was rewarded with a returned elbowing from Grappler who did it harder.

“We just need to calm down and think of a plan,” Shute asserted, suppressing a shiver. Despite not being directly exposed to the freezing elements now that he was sheltered from the brutal icy winds, Shute still felt cold. Aside from the discomfort and possible threat to his health they needed to get out of enemy territory. “How are we going to reach your camp now, JunMai?”

“It will take some time but we'll just have to travel through these caverns. I am not good with directional magic but I have a spell tag that should do the trick even if the tunnels have changed. The mate to the tag is back in camp so it will act as the guiding point. I could see if one of my _seirei_ could assist me though my magic is limited.”

“Can't you just tap into the Planet's Core for some more power?” Bakunetsumaru placed a hand over his GunSoul, “My GunSoul gives me power but I can fatigue so I must eat and rest to regain my energy. Does your SoulCore allow you to be constantly connected so you can always have energy at your disposal?”

“We are bonded with the Planet's Core as we are a part of it. Our SoulCores come from the Core itself yet we are in part responsible for our magic use. The Planet 's Core is part of our nourishment but we must rest to regain our magic or else the Core would be drained from abuse of its power. In past times the Core has granted more power to us, such as our battle with the Dark Axis but that caused it to be weakened; what you are witnessing is a backlash and an enemy taking the opportunity to seize power after the battle with another is over. We must ration our magic, like I did with this.” She held up the spell tag that she had used earlier on the dead ice crawler.

“What are you going to do with that?” Shute inquired though the question was on other's minds as well.

“I'm going to use what magic I got from that ice crawler and perform a magic transfusion on Star. Might as well as use it on something important and right now it's the only spare I've got. All the rest have other spell magic absorbed into them and I need them for anything that might come our way.”

“A magic transfusion?”

“I believe it's the same thing as what humans do in Neotopia for patients who need new blood to replace some they have lost; here on Kendra it is with magic.” Captain spoke though looked at JunMai. “Am I correct with my calculated assumption? Also Miss Star seems physically fine by my scans but her energy readings are low.”

“You are if humans' life source is blood. On Kendra magic acts as an extension of us that is part of our life source but not solely it. Hoshiko has lost a fair amount of magic due to it being drained so she's fallen into a sort of coma. If I don't replenish her magic supply soon...” JunMai turned toward her unconscious leader. “We need magic like some creatures do air and organic food. Without it we depend on gathering energy from others; too long without and we become empty shells. That is why we must not overextend our magic and restore it through connections to the Core.”

“So let me get this straight, at times this whole planet is full of gundams taking nap time or meditation mumbo jumbo?” Grappler just about sputtered, not believing his audio receptors. “And yet while you all were taking a nice snooze you still couldn't be conquered by the Dark Axis!?”

“It's called taking shifts.” JunMai shook her head though she was moving back to the side of Star once more. “Once we feel ourselves weaken we must reconnect with the Planet's Core and synchronize our magic as well as regenerate lost energy. Some meditate while others do in fact go to sleep. If our magic goes too low we end up like Hoshiko; should we dare push our magic to complete depletion we chance dying or lacking significant magic the rest of our days. That is why I have to get some portion of magic back into Hoshiko; that **monster** almost drained her to death.”

“Wait.” Zero stepped toward JunMai. He knew the importance of magic and even though his own wellbeing was questionable it did not stop him, “If Lady Star really needs magic then let me give her some of mine. You can do that can't you?”

“The thought is appreciated but I have no idea how your magic would react combined with ours, even if Mana and Ki are perhaps similar. For now I must give her magic from the same source; should she not awake from this I must give her some of mine.” JunMai held up the still glowing piece of paper towards her leader.

“Hold on, doesn't that mean you'll be even lower on magic? Couldn’t you fall into a coma too?” Shute exclaimed with concern, steadily growing weary of the sanity of the orange gundamess' intentions.

“Hoshiko is far more important and this is life or death. I would gladly give my life to save my leader's and my sworn sister's life; I failed her once already.” JunMai firmly spoke, not shifting her gaze as she began uttering words from her native language.

“Dah, glow like a firefly.” Dom observed, the big robot pointing at the pulsing glow around the spell tag that JunMai held. After a moment JunMai placed the tag on Star's red SoulCore, continuing the incantation while the spell tag glowed brighter. Within a few moments Star's SoulCore began to pulse lightly in rhythm with the spell tag's own glow. Slowly it began to speed up as JunMai hastened her chant while everyone watched in awe.

Suddenly pulsing stopped, leaving both the tag and the SoulCore shining brightly. The spell tag ceased its glowing a few moments though Star's core continued to pulse. JunMai stop her chanting and watched while everyone else looked on. Time slowly passed but Star's SoulCore continued to glow though it softened and her optic screens remained black.

JunMai let out a sigh. She took the spell tag off Star and placed it on her own purple SoulCore. The orange gundamess then began a new incantation that caused both her SoulCore and the spell tag to glow. Gradually the glow of the spell tag grew and her SoulCore dimmed. Letting out a gasp, JunMai's eyes widened and she halted the chant.

“Hey!” GunEagle started forward but the gundamess held up a hand.

“No, wait. I'm not done.” She firmly spoke though there was a tremor in her voice caused by impending fatigue. JunMai lifted the tag off herself, whispering to it before holding it up directly in front of Star. With a slightly trembling hand she performed a sign, uttering a few words. A burst of light shot from the spell tag, directly connecting with Star's red orb. A soft humming sound emitted from it, verging on the frequency of a musical note though it did not last long. 

The light disappeared from the tag and remained in Star's SoulCore, lightly coursing through it, ripples appearing near the surface of the red orb. Everyone watched, breathless as they awaited some change in Star to appear. Slowly JunMai lowered her hand, still gripping the tag. Sadly she watched her leader who remained unconscious, showing no sign of life though energy now plainly swirled in her core. Hesitating she began to reach out to touch Star when she faltered.

“Nuugh.” JunMai sighed as her eyes suddenly closed. Her body seemed to lose control for it went slack and began to tip to the side into a sure fall.

“Lady JunMai!” “JunMai!” Shute and Zero called out though surprisingly someone was already in action, beating the rest to the punch.

“JunMai! Are you alright?” Bakunetsumaru barely caught the collapsing gundamess. Despite the GunEagle's eagerness to assist, Bakunetsumaru, whose warrior reflexes and instincts commanded him into action, had beaten him. GunEagle stared in disbelief as the oblivious musha gundam attempted to prop the summoner up.

Instantly the rookie considered pouting but instead fixated on JunMai whose condition was far more important. He briefly pondered revenge for having his spotlight stolen, though musha was oblivious. A chance to humiliate the samurai while looking good in front of babes was too good to pass up; he’d have his vengence later.

“I'll be... fine. It seems my injury... is a bit more serious then I thought. Thanks... again...” She panted, pain in her brown eyes. “I can't help it... my body is shutting down for... rejuvenation... not enough magic...” Before JunMai could say more her head flopped to the side, her optic screens showing closed eyes. 

“Miss JunMai!” Captain hurried to the gundamess' side to assess her condition, beginning a scan while the Zero hovered, not sure if he should or could perform basic healing magic. Bakunetsumaru attempted to steady the fainted gundamess.

“Great! Now we have **two** gundams to lug around and we're without any sense of direction! She could have shown us which of those stupid pieces of paper was the right one! But nooo, she had to go and faint before that! Talk about damsels in distress! This is why I specifically like to avoid the female species of anything!” Grappler exclaimed indignantly, throwing up his hands out of exasperation.

“Looks like you'll be carrying even more now, D. Dom because I am not going to carry some gundam's weight.” Zapper added, gesturing to the largest of the Axian lords. 

“You're not helping.” Bakunetsumaru grunted, shooting a look at the two badgering robots. He was rewarded with a stern, unsympathetic look from the two of them while Dom appeared clueless like usual.

“What are we going to do now?” Shute looked to Captain though the military gundam was finishing his scanning of JunMai. The human pulled out the compass he had packed, “Even if this worked we have no idea which way the camp is. I think the magic is interfereing.” Sure enough the needle was spinning wildly.

“I'm not sure yet, Shute. With Miss JunMai unconscious, appearing to have entered a form of hibernation, and Miss Star still unresponsive we are without a guide. However perhaps if we can find the spell tag Miss JunMai mentioned we can use it to lead us to their camp. Zero may be able to make it work.”

“Not to be a wet blanket, but how do we even know it'll work? From what JunMai was saying it sounds like the magic is specific. I don't think anyone but her or Star can use it. I doubt Zero could make it work, no offense buddy.” GunEagle responded, glancing at the knight who just shook his head, letting the comment slide.

“I'll see if I can pick up the energy traces of the magic. With that perhaps I can calculate and decipher a possible path. If not Zero might be able to given to his affiliation with magic, we’ll just have to try.” Captain looked at the Winged Knight who was silent in return, knowing not to promise anything. 

Zero grimly observed JunMai who had hopefully entered her healing state. He waved a hand over her injured leg, letting his magic lightly mingle with hers to test their capability. The pain and fatigue in his Mana Crystal tugged and he felt a twinge within his circuits as if something were pressing against them. The Winged Knight flinched but the others did not seem to notice due to their attention being elsewhere.

“We're stuck here, zako.”

“We're going to be lost here forever, zako.”

“All I wanted was a vacation, zako.”

“We'll die, zako!”

The group of Zako Soldiers began to talk amongst themselves, mostly despairing about their situation. One or two of them tried to suggest a probable solution but their panicking comrades quickly shot them down.

“We'll we can't just sit here.” Bakunetsumaru insisted, gesturing to the two unresponsive gundamesses. “We have a duty to save this planet and get these two to safety. This seems like a respite but the enemy has all the time in the world right now. When in battle you have to use every second to your advantage even if you are downed for the moment. You can't give the enemy a foothold!”

“Right, but I don't really see us waltzing out of here any time soon.” GunEagle agreed as he got fired up. “We need to keep moving and figure things out as we move. We're a caravan, people!”

“Me no vehicle.” Dom shook his head at the comparison that he misunderstood. “Me fighting machine. Me help and carry but no car though me have wheels.”

“Ha ha, easy there big guy, that's not what I meant but it works.” GunEagle laughed while observing JunMai well within her personal space that was otherwise off limits while she was alert. 

“GunEagle, could you get me Miss JunMai's spell tags so I can began my analysis for the key one?” Captain asked, now away from where the two gundamesses sat, scanning their surroundings in order to find a suitable tunnel to travel down.

“Sure thing, Cap. Though we've got enough of those Zakos, why not just send one down each tunnel and see what they have to say if they come back?” The rookie suggested though he happily began the search for JunMai's spell tags that he had seen her tuck into her sash. “I really don't want to touch them, maybe they’re booby-trapped.” He mulled over the memory of him being bound by the magic slips of paper.

“Pretty glow.” Dom suddenly stated, pointing at Star whose SoulCore was beginning to illuminate once more. The red orb pulsed once as if suffering an energy surge before stopping, appearing dormant yet again.

Star's optic screens flickered for a moment before revealing purple eyes. Out of the corner of her eye she caught movement and quickly turned, her attention snapping toward GunEagle. Her pupils dilated as she saw him standing near JunMai.

“Whoa! Sleeping beauty is awake!” GunEagle halted his grab for the spell tags.

_“Anata dare!?”_ Star exclaimed, jumping to her feet though she stumbled, obviously not fully recovered. Before GunEagle could answer she thrust out a hand and the rookie found himself hurtling backward, away from JunMai, as a blast of ice collided into him, it erupting from the ground. _“Kōri!”_

The turquoise gundamess leapt to the side of JunMai, quickly examining her. “JunMai!” When there was no sign of response Star's head jerked up, her eyes narrowed. Her hand raised toward GunEagle though her attention snapped toward the rest of the group. As the rookie attempted to get up, ice crawled its way around him, encasing his body and thus limiting his movements.

“Uh, Captain!” He yelped, struggling to get loose. “We've got another crazy babe!”

Two confronting parties stared at each other, Star ridged and on the offensive; her eyes darted from each of the group's faces; upon spotting the Axians her purple eyes widened before narrowing. Letting out an intimidating sound Star thrust her hands forward as if preparing to fire something from her palm.

“Oh great, here we go again!” Grappler exclaimed, taking cover in anticipation of a blast from the revived gundamess. “Not at all déjà vu!”

“Isn't that the same magic that had us encased in those ice blocks!?” Zapper called out, the burgundy robot hitting the deck and sliding behind a large snow bank for cover. “I should have known, we brought the enemy with us! It was trick!”

“So says the former enemy!” Bakunetsumaru called back, the musha gundam drawing his blades to face this unexpected foe though he hesitated to raise his blade against an assumed ally. “This might all just be one big misunderstanding!” 

“Wait! Wait! Milady Star! Lady Hoshiko! It's me! Zero! Don't you remember?” Zero frantically tried to gain control over the situation while Star looked confused and angry. “It's me, the Winged Knight! _Tsuba..._ ” He faltered, forgetting the Kendrian word for his title that Star had used before.

“Super not Keesh!” GunEagle exclaimed from his ice prison, ice magic now having him encased up to his neck with just his hands popping out as it kept crawling.

_“Kishi no Tsubasa!”_ Zero exclaimed, his teal eyes brightening as the word flickered in his mind like a familiar memory.

“Danger, unstable energy levels detected!” Captain announced, his scanner flicking down over his eye as he began readings on the awakened Star. “Her vitals are spiking and her energy levels are fluctuating!”

“So what, we're dealing with raging hormones!?” Grappler demanded, while Zapper peeked out, not daring to come out of his hiding spot.

“Dark Axis.” Star grounded out, glaring at the robots, still posed for attack as she eyed the statue like Dom and taunting Grappler while Zapper remained in hiding. “I thought we'd gotten rid of you for good but now I find that you're here again, right under our very noses, probably siding with that monster!” A glow started to form in the palm of her hand as Star started to say a spell.

“Hold on, they're not the enemy!” Shute frantically tried to explain, waving his arms. “We came here to save you and they were captured by the Demon King! We saved them before we freed you and met up with JunMai! Honest!”

“Everyone just **calm down**!” Zapper shouted though he was rewarded with judging looks as well as a smart remark from Grappler, 

“Oh that really helps.” 

“Miss Star, you were injured and JunMai used some of her own magic to revive you, resulting in her current state. I fear you might be suffering from fatigue that has been sharply contrasted by an overdose of energy. You may go into shock at any moment. I am Captain Gundam and I promise to you we mean you no harm and are here to help.”

“Hoshiko, please!” Zero begged, gesturing for her to lower her arms. “Remember what happened, remember me! You contacted me through telepathy! You warned me of danger and asked for my help. As a knight I can assure you these fellows are no longer part of the Dark Axis and are victims like you though you've suffered so much more.”

“Knight...” Star murmured, familiarity reflecting in her eyes though confusion was obvious. She slightly lowered her arms but was still ready for an attack. _“Kishi...”_

“I'm afraid the trauma of the energy depletion might have wiped her memory.” Captain explained, still scanning Star. “Waking up to strangers nearby and her comrade unconscious with familiar enemies in sight only adds to her expected hysteria.” 

“How does everyone know we're from the Dark Axis?” Zapper insisted, hiding behind his icy shelter while the Zako Soldiers remained crouching behind Dom.

“Geez, I don't know. Maybe it's the fact we're robots and we all have **one** eye! Like the crazy orange one said!” Grapple exclaimed, rolling his pink eye at his selectively dimwitted comrade. “It's not my fault we're stereotyped.”

“Dah, yeah!” Dom tapped his head. “One eye but no more Dark Axis.”

“Lucky for us.” GunEagle called out, still struggling to get out of his ice prison. “We're not fraternizing with the enemy but rather the **former** enemy.” 

“Ugh.” Star let out a pained sound, gripping her head, swaying slightly. “Everything's spinning... I... JunMai?” She turned toward the unconscious orange gundamess, “You alright? JunMai? _Daijobu? Tsuzukeru_!” She stepped toward JunMai, stumbling as she reached out.

“Gundam falling!” Grappler sounded while a few Zako Soldiers along with Dom dared to say, “Timber!”

“Got you!” Zero exclaimed, his flight boosters allowing him to arrive quickly beside Star before she collapsed. He swiftly looked to see if she had gone offline once more but saw that she had merely had closed eyes rather than blank optic screens.

“Well that was quick.” GunEagle observed from his icy perch, momentarily distracted from his attempt to escape.

“Is she-?” Shute began, starting to rush over but Zero shook his head.

“No, she's just fainted.”

“She was in a state of shock, it is understandable she reacted the way she did. The sudden restart of her systems probably sent her on overdrive.” Captain explained as he joined Zero's side. “Her vital readings are gradually stabilizing but remain high and her energy readings are still spiking. Wait, now they're dipping.”

Bakunetsumaru edged closer, having sheathed his twin katana. “What about her SoulCore?” The musha gestured to it, “It might be a bit different than my GunSoul but you should still be able to gauge her energy from that.”

“I'll try and see if I can temper the magic a bit. She might be suffering from magic poisoning due to an overdose.” Zero reached for Star's SoulCore, preparing himself to tap into the magic that surged through her. As he lowered his hand a shock met him and raced up his arm. He jerked back his hand as the zap startled him. Instantly something inside him stirred and his circuits whirled, static dominating his audio receivers. 

Before he could say something to his companions who looked alarmed at his sudden reaction, his vision went black. Zero then fell to unconsciousness as his memories seemed to fly past him before abandoning him in darkness…

 

A humming filled his audio receivers before Zero woke up, finding himself laying on the ground, feeling dazed. Standing over him was Star who thankfully looked far less hostile. In a lighter, somewhat concerned voice she asked, “Are you alright?” 

“Yeah, I think so.” Zero moaned, sitting up, feeling confused and slightly fatigued though traces of the former pains were gone. “What happened? How long was I out?”

“Some of my Ki energy was inside of you so when you touched my SoulCore it was released. You were out for twenty minutes due to the backlash. But first, please excuse my earlier behavior, I was delirious and didn't remember due to my missing Ki. I’ve regained those memories thanks to you and the others have explained what occured.” “Zero was possessed!?” Bakunetsumaru looked horrified.

“No, I simply used his core as a cupboard and transfered some of my Ki so I could keep part of it out of the Demon’s reach. We had a connection due to our telepathic link, but when I met Zero in the No-Man's-Zone I transferred more as a precaution, sorry. I thought if you knew the Demon would find out and go after you. But I realize now you had no idea who I was then. He made you forget each time so it was foolish and selfish.”

“That explains me feeling not the same for a while.” Zero placed his hand over his Mana Crystal. “I was feeling some of your pain and the mingling with your magic was causing Mana to act differently inside me.”

Star nodded solemnly, “Again I apologize. I thought that since we both had magic you would be able to host part of my essence for a while without harm. I never meant to compromise your performance and mental wellbeing. But now that you've transferred it back to me you should be better once the fatigue passes. Unfortunately I am currently unable to heal you and JunMai presently.”

“Don't worry about his mental wellbeing, it never has been the most revered on the Force anyways.” GunEagle shrugged, having been released from his ice prison some time during Zero's blackout.

“Says the one who can't remember names.” Bakunetsumaru retorted, giving the rookie a long look. 

“Being transfer was unintentional you were unprepared.” Star extended her hand to help Zero up. “We both should be fine in no time. Though I am still without a considerable amount of energy I have more magic to work with than before.”

“So we noticed.” Grappler griped gesturing to the ice wall the gundamess had made earlier.

“I apologized for that already. I was in a state of confusion and you being from the Dark Axis didn't help that.”

“You know, I'm starting to think maybe I'll get some modifications get a second eye to avoid being **attacked** all the time!”

“I'm just glad you're alright, milady.” Zero cut in before a fight could start.

The gundamess waved her hand, “On Kendra we commonly use honorifics, but since we are not really strangers and you are not familiar with my culture, you may simply call me Star or Hoshiko. I say you've well earned the right.” 

“Heh, there is no getting Zero to stop saying that.” GunEagle butted in, “He refers to all females as **milady** but don't let it get to you, babe. He just likes making all females feel regal.” The rookie leaned in, completely ignorant of his own habit for nicknames.

“Please refrain from calling me or any of my kind **babe**. Frivolous nicknames such as that are degrading whether you mean it or not.” Star quickly replied her eyes hardening though her voice remained level. Snickers erupted from Grappler and Zapper.

“Do all the ba-, I mean gundamesses, on this planet react to strangers the same way as you two?” GunEagle asked on beat, indicting JunMai as well.

“Only the ones who have been through the depths of despair. So yes, most of us.”

“You mentioned healing, you know medical magic?” Shute interjected, hoping to ease the growing tension. When Star nodded he exclaimed, “So you **were** the one who healed Zero when he was separated from us after fighting with the brainwashed Axians!”

Grappler and Zapper seemed to sour at the mention of their enslavement though Dom appeared busy attempting to make a snowbot with the aid of the Zako Soldiers.

“Yes, I am able to perform a degree of it. Being my talent relies more in elemental magic my healing is not the best. I can do minor repairs though, hence the aid I gave to Zero; if his injuries had been more serious I wouldn't have made much of a difference. However once I am rested and regain more energy I can perform basic healing once more.” Star informed, “Presently it won't be enough to help JunMai awaken.”

“Once again, I thank you for your medical assistance.” Zero bowed his head but Star shook her head. “I was unable to properly express my gratitude before.”

“I can't help wonder who that was who appeared in Neotopia. You know, our sky visitor.” Bakunetsumaru pondered, reminding everyone of the strange being that had shown up briefly. “Don't tell me **that** was the Demon King.”

“Sky visitor?” Star repeated, to which Captain explained briefly. “Hm, that is beyond my abilities… it sounds like some form of gundam like an energy being.”

“Form?” Bakunetsumaru exclaimed, his brown eyes wide. “Do you mean as in a s-s-s-p-p-”

“Spirit? Yes in a way, probably similar to astral projection. But it was looking for the _kibou hoshi_ you say? Perhaps it was another Kendrian… or maybe the Planet’s Core itself? It could have manifested using magic in order to bring you here…”

“Is that something it is capable of doing, Miss Star?”

“I am not sure, it is basically our deity so it holds more powers than we can ever dream. I won’t go into details about the lore as I only know a bit myself but it’s hard to say yes or no,” Star contimplated, looking at the inquisitive Captain. “Something is at work here and you all are involved now. At first I thought perhaps Zero was **the** _Kibou Hoshi_ but perhaps he was merely the link, the first, and you all have been chosen.”

“Wait, so the power of this Planet's Core was no match for me?” GunEagle relished, eyes shining. “Ha! No one can outfly the mighty GunEagle!”

“Do remember the Core is presently ill and not at full strength. It would be unwise to boast about going against essentially a god.” Star warned against possible blasphemy.

“Now that Zero is awake shouldn’t we worry about getting out of here?” Shute raised his hand to get the others’ attention.

“Indeed it would be logical now that Miss Star is conscious; she can better guide us.” Captain looked at the turquoise gundamess.

“Our camp might have moved in the time I was captured but JunMai’s homing spell tag will do the trick. Its power is limited so if it fell into enemy hands it would deactivate, but we should be able to find the camp.”

“Dah, should?” Dom replied, cocking his head to the side.

“Of course, it’s because we fell down here.” Zero gestured upwards to the ice walls looming over their heads, “Those ice crawlers caused us this detour though Lady JunMai was trying to keep us on track. Naturally we have to find a new route.”

Star looked at the group with wide eyes, “I still cannot believe that you managed to escape them, all while carrying me unconscious.”

“Yeah not to mention we had to fight a horde of hideously made ice sculptures!” GunEagle interjected, trying to recall how many he had taken down so he could add it to his top defeats list in proper order. “It was a tasteless collection in my opinion.”

“Yeah, a collection we were almost made a part of!” Zapper fummed.

“For certain we must make haste.” Star nodded from beside JunMai. “JunMai has to get to camp so she can be healed; that goes for the rest of you. We have already lost precious time but once we arrive we can better plan our next attack.”

“ **Our** next attack? Now listen here lady: as much as I want payback for being botnapped and brainwashed into being some creep's puppet, I am not going back out there.” Grappler hissed, his pink eye narrowing. “I want off this frozen rock and then I'll worry about poking my finger in the eye of this so called king.”

“It's your decision to fight or run. You were not involved until you were kidnapped though you are supposedly formally of the Dark Axis. However I owe it to you to get you to safety. As a matter of getting off this 'rock' we shall discuss it later.” Star calmly replied, though her purple eyes scanned their surroundings. “I’ll get the spell tag so we can leave. Ice crawlers could be here at any moment or worse.”

“Alright, let's get this party started!” GunEagle pumped his fist, earning a disapproving look from most of his comrades though they agreed.

Star reached into JunMai's sash, easily locating the right spell tag. “This is it, but she needs to be carried if we're going to hurry.”

“Dah, me carry orange gundam lady. No worries.” Dom boomed, lumbering over and easily scooping JunMai into his arms, apparently not bothered at all. “Already carried one, this is nothing.”

“If you ask me, D. Dom is liking carrying around unconscious gundams a bit too much... then again I'm sure he would like it more if they were lifeless. I know I would.” Grappler hissed to Zapper who was tempted to imagine the husk of Captain.

“Wow, that will really lead us to the hideout?” Shute eyed the piece of paper in Star's hand. “I mean, I saw what JunMai can do with them but will it really be able to lead us through the caverns? Especially with the camp's location possibly changing? I have a compass but it doesn’t seem to work here on Kendra.”

“Long as the others have its mate we’ll be able to find them. As for your compass: due to the Core’s current state it is messing with the natural bearings; we must rely on our own sense of direction or use a magical lead like JunMai’s homing talisman.”

“Hey, if it's JunMai, I believe in her.” GunEagle chimed in, looking proud. “That gal's got talent. I wouldn't doubt her magic after what I've seen.”

“Yeah you shouldn't.” Bakunetsumaru rolled his brown eyes over the not so distant memory of GunEagle's first hand experience with said magic.

“I'm just worried about what we might run into while we're searching. Those ice crawlers were bad enough.” The human boy shivered at the thought of the haunting beasts.

“Ice crawlers are typically surface dwellers though they have been slowly making their way down. However I think because of the Core’s power, though dwindling, it interferes with their magical makeup and they weaken the lower they get.” Star explained, holding up the spell tag. “We shouldn't run into anymore of them but better safe than sorry.”

“I'm already sorry for being suckered into this, botnapped or not.” Zapper grumbled as they waited for the piece of paper to do whatever it was supposed to.

“This way.” Star pointed as the slip of paper glowed while she held it out, its intensity becoming greater and changing to a vibrant purple color as she waved it in one particular direction.

“Alright! We'll be there in no time now!” GunEagle exclaimed, “You all can eat my dust!” 

Zero rolled his teal eyes, tempted to point out that if GunEagle went ahead he would have no idea where to go without the enchanted paper. 

“As long as we don't draw attention to ourselves.” Shute responded nervously though Captain placed a reassuring hand upon the boy's shoulder. “I don't like the thought of those giant worms finding us.”

“Well **that** shouldn't be a problem with this group.” Zapper muttered sarcastically, gazing at the variety of characters. The group then began making their way in the direction that the slip of paper glowed brightest, hope renewed ever so slightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -  
> Translations:
> 
> bakamono // stupid/born fool  
> Akuma no Ou // Demon King  
> kibou hoshi // hope star  
> tama // (round shape) ball  
> taichou // captain  
> seirei // (ghost/soul/spirit/living spirit) spirit  
> tamashii // (spirit, essence, heart) soul  
> kakushin // (essential part) core  
> Anata dare // who are you  
> Daijobu // good, alright, feeling well; fine. (“[you] alright/ok”)  
> Tsuzukeru // hold on (continue)
> 
> \--  
> Credits:  
> Kaon © PumpkinaChai


	7. Electrify! A Shocking Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Star awake she leads them through the underground tunnels of Kendra, making way towards her base camp. Along the way she shares info about Kendra and the state of things. But soon the group faces an obstacle when they must cross dangerous caverns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First version of this chapter was posted in 2014 exclusively on my deviantart.
> 
> You can read the PDF version of this on my deviantart [here](http://fav.me/dce5pmr)

[ ](http://fav.me/dce5pmr)

Hours seemed to crawl past as the group slowly made their way through the underground tunnels, following the glowing piece of paper. GunEagle had suggested they tie a string to it and let it fly ahead but had been quickly dismissed, namely after he compared it to flying a kite; Grappler's remark of it being more entertaining then the lame fest they were having didn't help either. Star lightly explained about needing direct contact or else it would possibly fly off ahead of them, causing them to lose it or have it deactivate all together.

The mood of the group declined with each turn, every step seeming to only lead them further into ice tunnels that seemed like a maze and all too familiar.

“This place is **worse** than Kaon! At least only one part of that place was frozen! Here it's like we're on a giant frozen pond.” Bakunetsumaru grumbled with regret as he trudged along through the endless tunnels; it was like the fortress all over again. “If I don't see another maze it’ll be too soon.”

“More like a snowglobe.” Shute corrected, looking up as endless snow fell from a crack in the high ceiling as the group had now entered a space between tunnels, similar to the area they had fallen down into. “Given Kendra is a mostly water planet this is like a huge Ice Age.” 

Star walked ahead, gripping the navigator talisman as she determined the next direction. “The Planet’s Core helps us to manipulate water as if we were simply on land, thus our movements are unhindered; but not all are gifted with water magic specifically. We are well known for our water races; that was one of JunMai's favorite things...”

“When will Miss JunMai awaken?” Captain inquired, examining the still unconscious gundamess as she was cradled in Dom's arms. “My scanners indicate she still has low energy levels that are slowly stabilizing. She appears to be in stasis.”

“Dah, orange lady gundam sleeping.” Dom nodded in agreement, not bothered at all though his thoughts were drifting to locating his beloved weapons.

“Yeah, how long does it take to get a pick-me-up?” Grappler insisted, giving the gundams a skeptical look. “Can't we just give her a zap with one of those pieces of paper? We have a volunteer source of energy, right **Lord Zapper Zaku**?” He mocked as he rolled his eye toward Zapper who immediately snapped,

“I'm looking at a better candidate.”

Star shook her head, “It varies, sometimes a few hours or even days. I'm fortunate as without JunMai's assistance I might have been in a coma for a week, even with the return of my energy from Zero; it's hard to say since I've never been that weak. Besides, only JunMai can use the talismans as they are not my chosen magical tool. If I had my staff and more energy, then maybe I could revive her sooner. For now our best option is getting one of our healers to see her. In the meantime her SoulCore should be receiving some energy from the Planet's Core.”

“But given the state Kendra is in and the strain on the Core, that doesn't mean much, right?” Bakunetsumaru looked at the turquoise gundamess who solemnly nodded.

“I still don’t get how you could have fended off the Dark Axis if every time your magic gets low you take a nap, even with shifts.” Grappler demanded, shoving past Zapper, “Honestly if it were me back in the day I would have brought victory.”

“With the Core providing magic at an enhanced rate as it was acting out of defense our rest time was reduced. Our numbers were much greater then so we rotated who would fight, who would heal, and who would rest. But being most of the magic was used up against the Dark Axis it was no match against the Demon King. Now because of the toll of both crises it is very weak hence our current delay. That is why it is important survivors stick together.” Star sighed appearing tired but determined.

“We've been traveling for a while, maybe we should rest for a bit.” Zero suggested, glancing over at Shute who seemed to be fine but certainly slowing down. The boy nodded in agreement, panting from the combination of a long trek as well as overheating from his warm yet protective jacket. A chorus of agreement sounded from the Zako Soldiers as they sat down, complaining about frostbite.

“Agreed. I estimate that fifteen minutes should be enough.” Captain informed, “Also I'd like to scan everyone to make sure no new injuries have occurred.”

“Hah, you gundams and fragile organics need to slowdown for fear of burning out a few gears! How lame!” Zapper scoffed, giving Grappler a smug look as the two shared a similar “superior bots” thought.

“And yet who was complaining about his feet being sore?” GunEagle replied, giving the burgundy robot a side-glance. Dom, laying JunMai down for a moment, nodded, 

“Dah.”

“You shut it, you!” Zapper spat, pointing an accusing finger though the aerial gundam just let out a laugh. 

The group took the opportunity to rest, Captain checking on each member's vitals and monitoring the atmosphere. Once Star's turn was over she started walking away from the group before stopping and gesturing, “ _Zakuro_ , please come here for a moment.”

Everyone stood still for a moment puzzled as to whom Star was referring to though she gestured to Zapper, the burgundy robot looking annoyed.

“Hey lady, that's **Zapper Zaku** to you! And that's in fact **Lord** Zapper Zaku! There's no ‘ro’ to it! Sheesh!”

“There is plenty of ‘ro’ to it. You are the color of zakuro and your name has ‘zaku’ in it. You are Zakuro!” She calmly replied.

“No, it's Zapper **Zaku**.”

“ _Zakuro_.”

“Lord Zapper Zaku.”

“Zakuro.”

“Then just call me Lord Zapper like I'm going to zap you, that’s a promise!”

“I highly doubt you have the power over lightning.”

“Ooo, I'll show you power over lightning, sister, when I get my gatling gun!”

“Ladies, ladies, let's settle down.” Grappler interrupted, waving his clawed hand though he smirked as Zapper leered at him, obviously deeply annoyed.

“Is it just me or is she joking with Zapper?” Bakunetsumaru leaned in and spoke in a loud whisper to Shute. 

“Looks like it but I want to know what a 'zakuro' is.” The boy shrugged as he watched a very exasperated Zapper stomped over to Star. “But it's nice to see someone other than GunEagle has a sense of humor.” 

“And certainly not as obnoxious...” Bakunetsumaru muttered.

Zapper and Star conversed for a few minutes, out of audio receiver range, which was surprising given the robot's loud voice. After a few nods Zapper walked away looking peeved but slightly fearful. Star looked thoughtful though unhappy.

“What was that about?” Grappler snickered, “Finally being told off?”

“Shut it, it's none of your concern.” Zapper snapped, thrusting his thumb at himself, “Apparently I'm the only one who can give viable information so hah!”

“Then gundams really must be stupider than I thought.” The blue robot sneered, knowing his comrade's past credibility.

“Is everything alright, Miss Star?” Captain inquired as the gundamess wandered back over to where the gundams and Shute stood.

“Hm? Ah... yes. Pardon, I wanted to talk to the Dark Axis, I mean the Axians about their imprisonment. Unfortunately it seems the details are few.”

“Don't worry about it, even if you asked all three of those goons, the result would be the same.” GunEagle chimed in, eyeing a patch of snow and the turned backs of a few Zako Soldiers as temptation whispered to him. “And don't even try the little guys.”

“We don't remember, zako!”

“It's not our fault, zako!”

“We didn't see anything, zako!”

“Dah, me don't remember much. Only big booms.” Dom added, cocking his head to the side as he thought about his beloved weapons. “Me weapons gone...”

“My question is: Where did they get those weapons?” Shute piped up, taking time to rest his feet and eat a food bar. “They didn't have them when we found them, despite being armed when last we fought.”

“The Demon King could have gone through their memories and created the weapons using illusions. Or it's possible he collected them from around Kendra from our conflict with the Dark Axis, but most of those were sent off world or destroyed.” Star offered, glancing away for a moment, “They could be in a weapons room back at the fortress, along with my staff…”

“That would explain why we found no remains of the weapons.” Captain concluded, adding the information to his internal mission log. “The items used however did seem to have some substance, they were able to cause damage.”

“We still don't fully understand his powers, that's in part why the fight against that monster has been so hard. He seems to cast illusions and manipulate matter.”

“But why use those heaps of metal instead of captured gundams? JunMai mentioned other prisoners.” GunEagle asked, “I mean, no offense but I'm sure they'd put up a better fight... then again those guys would be much easier to manipulate.” 

“Most of our kin were captured so they could no longer interfere. We had no idea of his true plans... JunMai and I went on a mission together in attempt to breakout as many gundams as we could but most were already frozen or unconscious as he stole their energy for power, siphoning it while he manipulates the Core. I was captured and JunMai was forced to flee. His manipulation knowns no bounds though us gundams are more resistant.” Star’s purple eyes cast downward, “It was a sorry, dangerous attempt.” 

“So the Axians were easier to manipulate and since their source of energy does not come from Kendra, there was no use in siphoning their power!” Bakunetsumaru exclaimed, pounding his fist into his hand for emphasis upon the revelation. “An experiment!” 

“Not to mention they are rude and totally lame.” GunEagle added to which a hunk of ice slammed into the side of his head. “Hey! Who threw that?” His gaze rapidly shifted between the Zako Soldiers to their larger commander counterparts. None of the robots responded except with wide single eyes and glances away as they attempted to act aloof. 

Dom let out a chuckle though with JunMai in his arms, obviously not the guilty party. Zapper however let out a bark of laughter, pointing.

“Watch your mouth.” Grappler warned, though the nailing with the ice-laced snowball amused him. “Maybe he thought we could crush you gundams given the record of the Dark Axis.”

GunEagle rolled his eyes as he clapped a hand against his head in an attempt to rid his audio receivers of any ice. “Aren’t you guys supposed to be **former** Dark Axis, as in it's in the past?”

“What matters is that we find the camp to get Lady JunMai to healers and that goes for Lady Star as well. We'll work out a plan to rescue the other gundams later; we're too much at a disadvantage right now.” Zero interjected, looking at the less than happy robots and fellow gundams. “I know how it is when things look when the enemy has an advantage... especially when those you care about, your own kind, are at risk. But right now we need to combine our resources and regroup.”

“Zero's right, we should talk more about this once we're not so exhausted and have time for real rest.” Shute nodded, the boy now ready to continue. “Especially if we can regroup with other gundams, it would help out.”

“I would flipping kiss a tin can if I found another bot with half the sense as me on this frozen rock.” Grappler mumbled to himself though Zapper beside him muttered,

“Good luck with that below average.”

“Dah, we go. Lose too much time.” Dom spoke, the large robot looking down upon his companions. He was well ready to start walking once more, the unconscious JunMai still in his arms. However the Zako Soldiers were still complaining about resting.

“If you would, Miss Star.” Captain dipped his head toward their guide. The gundamess nodded, holding out the homing talisman. 

“That way.”

“Here we go again.” Grappler muttered, rolling his eye. “I would kill for the Zakorello Gate or a portal.”

“Are we there yet, zako?” A Zako Soldier whined, quickly followed by a chorus.

“No, unless you want to run the whole way. If we delay for more rest every time you complain the more chance the tunnels will cave before we get through or the camp moves.” Zero replied, “Lady Star has explained this and so have we.” 

“No body asked you, Sir Kiss-Up-A-Lot!” Zapper snapped, frowning.

“Well we didn't ask to hear your complaining!” Bakunetsumaru barked back, holding his hands to his head. “All this whining!”

“We're not whining, zako!” Came the chorus of protests from the little robots.

“More like wining and dinning at Table Complain.” GunEagle corrected, “You're not the ones who can't fly just because his fuel cells might freeze up and these tunnels are cramped!”

“Shut up you, you're just an even more so annoying brat when you're grounded!” Grappler sneered.

“Dah, will me get weapons at camp? Me want to hurry if so.”

“Can everyone take a moment to calm down? The mood of the group is rapidly decreasing and our progress rate over time is being affected. If we continue-”

“You shut up too, Captain Obvious! No one wants to listen to you!”

“Don't tell Captain to shut up you ill mannered ruffian!” Zero fumed, his teal eyes narrowing. “You complain about our progress but then proceed to cause a disruption that slows us down!”

“That goes for you too, Lover Boy! We all know you're just going along with what your bossy girlfriend says because you want points with her!” Grappler pointed a clawed finger at the Winged Knight.

“W-what!? She's not my- How dare you speak that way about a lady!” Zero exclaimed, his temper flaring.

“You two are truly fiends!” Bakunetsumaru exclaimed, appalled by the behavior of their allies.

“I think any longer of this and we might have a brawl on our hands.” Shute quietly spoke to Star, the only one silent.

She looked at the human for a moment, her purple eyes steady. After a moment she sighed, speaking loudly, “If you would all please quiet down, thus not possibly causing a cave in or draw ice crawlers and anything else to our location, look here. See the glow is getting brighter. We’re nearing the camp.”

“So we're getting close, but how much further? For all we know that paper might have to go supernova to show that we've arrived.” GunEagle could barely contain his anticipation.

“It shouldn't be long now but it'll seem longer if you exhaust yourselves by constantly bickering and psyching yourselves out.”

“I'd like to psych someone out at this very moment.” Grappler muttered to which Zapper nodded, both robots exchanging heated looks with Bakunetsumaru and Zero.

“And no more of these fights. With the Planet's Core presently corrupted, its magic is different and constantly shifting. It is probably affecting you all in some way. Disagreements are understandable but this growing hostility may be the Core's ill affect on you, corrupting you yourselves. If we linger in these tunnels more than we have to, where the magic can gather and stagnate into a magical miasma, we may have another war.”

“Great, so now we're slowly being poisoned by this giant frozen fishbowl!” Grappler glared at his surroundings, ready to lay blame.

“Not if we keep moving as Miss Star said.” Captain quickly reminded his companions.

“As soon as I get back to Ark I'm demanding a vacation at the hot springs.” Zapper growled as the group started moving once more.

“How about we just find a nice pool for you to stick your head in and cool off?” Zero murmured as he floated near the front of the group.

“Yeah, that'd be the same thing and we'd get to enjoy the warmth without your commentary.” GunEagle loudly agreed.

“Dah, warmth.”

“Shut up!”

“Star? Earlier you used ice against GunEagle and mentioned you use elemental magic? What other elements can you use?” Shute asked loudly, trying to distract his companions from fighting.

Star calmly replied though she was loud as well, drowning out the feuding group members, “My magic talents rely more on elements of space, including stars; is was how I got my name. We are mainly given names relating to our talents. In other words: I can use ice, fire, light, gravity and space spells.”

“Forgot the big ball of gas part.”

Star ignored Grappler's comment though Shute was sure he heard her murmur something that sounded like “If I had more power to spare...” but she shifted to speaking louder, “My spells can serve as offensive and defensive, that is in part why I was chosen to be with the main fighting force. Wherever aid was needed, I could lend it.”

“I find this data fascinating; I am making a record of my findings of Kendra. If you could, Miss Star, would you give me more details on your abilities?” Captain inquired, knowing that any information could be insightful for the Force's future campaigns.

“Very well: Light, I can create a blinding flash like a supernova. With gravity I can manipulate the force around me or others; this is how I can float or even fly, though I acquired an flight spell for energy wings; I can also pin others down by increasing their gravity or make them float but that takes more energy when not it's not for myself. Fire: I can create fireballs and launch them or set others aflame; Ice is similar, with ice balls, walls or encasing others. Also I do have limited healing magic, as most mage gundams do for basic needs.”

“And space?”

“It is a limited teleportation. Combined with the right amount of energy and spell, I can make portals. Combined with time magic, it's possible to cross worlds and time streams but that is forbidden. The Planet's Core would react violently to time crossing; Time travel isn't possible without dire consequences. Anyone with time abilities can only manipulate objects' own times or their own, such as increasing their speed or decreasing others, or increasing the growth in planets.”

“So when you and JunMai were going to raid the castle, you used some portal hop thing.” GunEagle surmised, “Too bad we can't use a portal right now.”

“Fortress... and yes. We transported gradual distances, traveled a bit and transported again once we found the right magic current and confirmed our location. Even if I know where I am going, I can't drastically teleport there. It comes in intervals unless I have the right device or magic supply. And with the Planet's Core as it is, long distance teleportation is asking for disastrous results.” Star replied, “Besides, transporting a huge group with my abilities wouldn't work, especially with my current energy levels. If I had a medium and enough energy, perhaps.”

“Then how was it you were able to meet me in that space between dimensions and send me back?” Zero inquired, “You were in that fortress, attached to that machine.”

“Due to the magic from the Planet's Core and the machine's tampering I ended up in that place, essentially astral projecting my conciousness for you to see rather than just my voice you heard before. I was able to use energy from the device to heal you and send you back since due to our connection I knew where you needed to go; I cannot simply make portals blindly. Essentially though the Core is weak it put me where I needed to be, where you needed help; it knew you didn’t make it through the portal and were injured.” 

“If it involves the _Kibou Hoshi_ , anything is possible. It seems in order to reach Zero, the Planet’s Core, used me. If it really was the Core trying to manifest an avatar for itself in Neotopia for help then we really are in dire straights. No wonder there may be more _Kibou Hoshi_.” Star continued, the slip of paper in her hand growing brighter. “I will do anything to help my homeland. That is my duty as a Kendrian, as a mage gundam.”

“I think everyone can relate. I would do anything I can for my beloved homeland Ark.” Bakunetsumaru nodded, “We've all had to fight for our home, or at least what we believed in.”

“Dark Axis was a job that started demanding too much. Our home dimension was just a base of operations.” Zapper complained, “After the General's plot became obvious and dealing with idiotic masters, that was the end.”

“I would still do anything for Lacroa, even as it is still recovering.” Zero added, his teal eyes stern.

“Of course I'd do anything for Neotopia. Baddies come and I kick their butts!” GunEagle exclaimed while Dom let out a monotone “Dah!” of agreement though the rookie gave him a weird look, unsure at what exactly was being agreed with.

“I ain't throwing my life away for nothing. Getting fried is bad enough.” Grappler folded his arms as he walked along.

“Is it just me or does it feel like there's static?” Shute asked, looking around as the group proceeded. “I think my hair is starting to stand on end.”  
“I do sense an increased amount of electricity in the air. Readings indicate it's nearly identical data for an electrical storm but to detect it underground is curious. One overhead is possible but to get readings this far underground and for electric currents to occur here is highly improbable. Electricity cannot be conducted through the earth.”

“You're forgetting we're stuck on a magical frozen planet, Captain. Anything could happen since you know... **magic**.” Zapper rolled his lone pink eye as he did mock jazz hands.

“Well, which do you want to hear first, the good news or the bad news?” Star asked, keeping the group moving.

“Good. We can handle the bad note last.” GunEagle piped up, earning narrowed eyes from multiple companions.

“We're close to the camp and it seems we are still undetected by the enemy. I do not sense any crawlers.” Star held up the brightly glowing spell tag for the others to see as it now lightly quivered.

“And the bad?” Bakunetsumaru tentatively asked, already tired of what life threatening scenarios Kendra had to offer.

“We have to cross the Lightning Caverns.”

“Lightning Caverns. That doesn't sound too bad!” GunEagle exclaimed, “What, do lights flash on and off like an old disco place?”

“Disco?” Bakunetsumaru repeated to which Shute waved his hand, whispering, 

“I'll tell you later. It's a human thing.”

“It isn't—as long as you are not made of a form of metal or are organic.” Star replied, not looking thrilled but not too concerned.

“Well then, we should be just fine. It sounds like the greatest idea ever since the time it was decided for me to be stuck with this lot.” Grappler sarcastically announced, throwing his hands up before folding his arms defiantly. Shute looked horrified while most everyone else had some look of concern.

“Before Kendra froze, the area was known as Lightning Currents. It wasn't nearly as dangerous, just gave you zaps if you went near. However since the freeze and the Core’s corruption the storms have worsened tenfold and now plague the area. We discovered its state not long after the Demon King arrived.”

“So, where are these caverns?”

Star motioned, “Just a bit further, they should be- Ah.” The gundamess stopped as she rounded a corner. The tunnel suddenly ended, revealing an icy wall.

“And of course there is a wall.” Zapper exclaimed, looking indignant.

“How we going to get through?” Shute looked over his shoulder, thinking perhaps they should backtrack and take other way.

“My scanners indicate that there is an opening on the other side of this wall as the density is less than the others. This must be from a recent tunnel collapse. How to get through though we should-” Captain began but was cut off by Grappler.

“You seem to forget we have a walking wrecking ball on our hands. D. Dom, would you do the honors?”

“Dah.” The large robot spoke, suddenly handing Zapper JunMai. The burgundy robot wasn't ready however and promptly crumpled beneath the weight, uttering curses and protests. Dom turned, lowering his spiked shoulder toward the wall, “Go Boom!” He bellowed as he suddenly charged the wall like a football player.

“Wait!” Captain, Star and Zero shouted in unison but the largest in their group rammed into the wall anyways. Immediately the wall gave way, exploding outward, ice particles flying everywhere. Shute coughed as he waved his hand, attempting to dissipate the cloud of dust.

“Dah, hole in one.” Came Dom's voice, the large robot now standing just outside the cavern. As the dust cleared, the hole he'd made revealed a giant field of ice with sparse ice towers though a high icy ceiling was still visible, light filtering through.

“See? That's how you do it: the Dark Axis way. With **force**.” Grappler exclaimed, smirking at the glaring gundams.

“Get her off me!” Zapper exclaimed, trying to push the unconscious JunMai away. Dom started making his way back over, obviously proud of his demolition job.

“Well. That could have-” GunEagle began but stopped as the ground started to shake, the walls rattling.

“Everyone move!” Bakunetsumaru shouted as the icy walls began to crack.

“It's going to collapse!” Captain exclaimed, grabbing Shute by the arm and darting through the gap in the wall. “The stability has been compromised!” 

“Out of my way!” Grappler shoved past the others as he scurried for the hole. Dom quickly scooped JunMai up in his arms while Zapper displayed unbelievable speed as he hopped to his feet and raced forth, the group of Zako Soldiers at his heels.

“Move it!”

“Go, go, go!” 

Everyone went for the gap as the tunnel around them crumpled, GunEagle shouting, “Gotta go fast!” Just as the last member made it through, the wall of ice came down, sealing the way.

“Well... there's no going back that way.” Bakunetsumaru summed up, while Zero helped Star to her feet as everyone looked at the crumpled wall.

“Dah.” Dom bobbed his head at the blocked entrance as he held JunMai.

“Hah! That could have been way wors-” GunEagle began when there was a low rumbling sound and a second later a streak of light came down, exploding on contact with the ground just a few feet from the group.

“Would you **stop** saying that!?” Grappler and Zapper both snapped, the bolt of lightning hitting nearest to them.

“I guess we know why they're called the Lightning Caverns.” Shute gave a nervous laugh as he backed toward the way they came, anxious to get out of the open.

“If you'd just waited...” Zero let out an exasperated sigh though GunEagle pointed,

“Heads up!”

Another bolt of lightning came down, this time right towards the group.

“Super Magical I-Field!” The Winged Knight quickly responded, summoning just enough Mana in time to created the magical barrier. The lightning collided with the forcefield but dissipated harmlessly though hardly anyone looked completely relieved.

“Great, we're walking targets!” Zapper exclaimed, giving Star a suspicious look though the gundamess just returned an even cool gaze.

“Yeah, especially with those dorky fins on your heads; those really make a good lightning rod.” GunEagle chortled, pointing at the Axian lords. Immediately the Zako Soldiers looked relieved to be without commander fins but still wailed,

"I don't want to be fried, zako!"

"We're going to die, zako!"

“Everyone, calm down!” Zero demanded, “We need to keep moving if it's going to be like this. I can't keep putting up a forcefield every other second.”

“The bolts are impossible to predict.” Captain added as he scanned the area, watching multiple flashes and bolts of lightning go off. “Their impact location is random though it seems to be gathering near us.”

“Ah... you did say metal and organic beings didn't fair well here... and lightning is attracted to metal...” Shute nervously addressed Star who was watching the bolts through the temporary forcefield. 

“It's going to be duck and cover all the way.” GunEagle observed, “Let's see how well certain persons can dance when lightning is on their tail.”

“I volunteer the most obnoxious of the gundams as tribute.” Grappler suggested to which Zapper gave his immediate approval while Dom nodded his head.

“Dah, volunteer as tribute.”

“We're sink-I mean sitting musk, I mean ducks out here.” Bakunetsumaru tried to motivate but failed as he once more fumbled over his chosen idiom.

“If you'd waited I could have saved some trouble.” Star shook her head, the gundamess gesturing with the directional spell tag. “I have a solution.” 

“What, have someone walk ahead and draw the lightning?” Grappler dryly asked, glancing at GunEagle who was pretending to shoot the bolts while making noises. 

“No, a summon.”

“Can you afford the loss in energy?” Captain asked, turning toward the gundamess, scanning for her readings.

“It'll be worse if I don't. Besides, I've been slowly gaining some energy back. Plus I won't have to worry about supplying energy to my summon; he'll be able to sustain himself. I only need to beckon him forth and give some magic to pull him here and sustain his existence until he gets his own source. Zero, can you maintain the field until I've completed the summon?

“I should be able to uphold it a little longer, it's just that my Mana is limited here. I think it’s because the Planet's Core's magic is dominant and interfering with it. My magic hasn't fully adjusted yet.”

Another bolt of lightning hit the forcefield, causing the magical barrier to flicker.

“Hurry up before we become barbecued!” Zapper demanded, looking nervous.

Zero flicked his wrist and a giant bandaid appeared, slapping itself across the burgundy robot's mouth. Instantly Zapper let out an indignant sound and began pulling at the magical gag. Grappler let out a nasty laugh though the Winged Knight gave him a challenging look. GunEagle pointed and laughed as well though the knight gundam gave him the same look.

“I'll go as fast as I can; it's going to be a bit harder than normal since I don't have a medium, a catalyst, to aid with the spell casting but I'll do it.” Star informed, the turquoise gundamess drawing her hand to her purple SoulCore. Her eyes closed as she began speaking in a low voice, uttering a chant in her native tongue, a red glow slowly forming around her SoulCore; the group caught only bits thanks to Grappler's snorting as Zapper fumed trying to rip the gag off.

_“... ikazuchi no seirei... deru!”_ Star took her hand off her chest and thrust it forward, drawing a circle in the air that became traced by glowing magic. “Kaida!”

Crackling started around the freshly made mini portal, small bolts of lightning encircling it. From outside the forcefield larger bolts continued to flash but the portal's electric currents remained small. Star let out a grunt as she continued to focus her magic toward the summoner's circle.

“Miss Star, are you alright?”

“Well that's lame. All this swooning.” Grappler sneered as Star fought to maintain her control while looking faint, staggering though Captain was right behind her to lend aid. The gundamess glared at the blue robot but focused back on the waning portal.

“How about you try to continue to fight when you have almost no strength left?” Bakunetsumaru challenged, his hands resting on his katanas.

“Mana, tell me about it.” Zero grunted as he kept the forcefield up, multiple bolts striking within seconds of each other.

“Yeah, let's see how you handle both the physical and mental strain of magic casting.” GunEagle added, looking indignant; though his point was valid it earned him looks due to his lack of firsthand experience. 

“You know, all this negativity really gets on one's circuits.” Zapper grumbled as he rid himself of the gag, looking at Dom who cluelessly cocked his head.

“Everyone look out!” Shute warned as the portal suddenly brightened. The boy threw his arm up as a shield though he wore his snow goggles once more.

“Get back!” Captain called out, grabbing Star as the small portal looked like it was about to implode.

“Hit the dirt! I mean ice!” Bakunetsumaru shouted though all the Zako Soldiers dove behind Dom who stared at the blinding light.

“Dah, me see stars.”

“Don't go burning out your optic lense, stupid!” Grappler snarled though he was shielding his own eye.

“Hold on!” Zero shouted, diverting his magic away from the shield as soon as a bolt disappeared, making a wall appear between the group and the illuminating portal. The wall only last for only a few moments however as multiple bolts of lightning came toward the group once more, causing Zero to project the magical field yet again.

“Energy readings are fluctuating! Portal is set to collapse in t-minus ten seconds!” Captain counted, lending an arm for Star to support herself on.

“It's almost there!” Shute pointed, squinting through his goggles. The portal sparked and widened before letting out a fizzle, shooting beams of light before collapsing. 

A light floated in front the group before drifting to the ground and dissipating, revealing a disgruntled looking cat sized light yellow lizard covered with spike like quills and single long horn from its forehead. It took Shute a moment to realize it was some subspecies of dragon as he took note of its spiney looking wings.

“That was a whole lot of something for nothing! What's it going to do? Sneeze on me?” Grappler laughed, wagging his clawed hand at the mini dragon that glared at him with blue eyes. “Looks like it went against a pincushion as lost. Nice fail of a summon.”

“This is my guardian spirit, Kaida, my only summon. Nearly all mage gundams has at least one; someone like JunMai however can fulfill multiple contracts.” Star paused for a moment at some thought but pressed on, “Don't let his size fool you.”

“Are you alright?” Captain inquired to which Star nodded and glanced over at Zero who looked worn.

“Are you?”

“I'll manage... Never have felt so limited with Mana before, not even once.”

“At least you can use your magic, my fires are just little spurts and it's humiliating!” Bakunetsumaru lamented, thinking of when his signature move had failed him. Hopefully in due time he would adjust to the atmosphere and his sacred flames would be mighty once more. 

“Shield down! Shield down, zako!”

“We're going to be fried, zako!”

“We're dead! So dead, zako!”

The Zako Soldiers suddenly started wailing as Zero's magical barrier crumbled. Immediately flickers of light began above them as the unstable magic began to form new lightning bolts. There was a deep boom as thunder echoed through the canvern.

“If we were going to get going now would be a good time!” GunEagle announced, eyeing the bolts though he was certain he could easily dodge them given his honed agility capabilities.

“Don't waste any more energy!” Star ordered Zero, causing the Winged Knight to halt for a second as he prepared another shield. Shute gave the gundamess a nervous look, not overly fond of the idea of becoming fried. “Just trust me.” 

“Kaida!” The gundamess called to her small summon who looked ready to attack Grappler who was attempting to shoo him away. The little dragon looked to his mistress before switching attention to the bolts overhead. Immediately the spines on his body shifted upwards as if hair affected by static. The pale yellow dragon raised his head, angling the large horn on his forehead upward as it began to glow.

“Everyone keep within a close radius.” Captain added, all scans now focused on the quivering dragon and oncoming magical electrical storm. Shute felt his hair standing up as the electricity in the air began to build. “But keep a safe distance from Kaida. I am picking up rapidly climbing energy readings.”

“Here it comes!” Bakunetsumaru called out, his brown eyes wide as he could not but help watching out of morbid curiosity.

The bolt of lightning arced down towards the group, seeming to hone in on Kaida. Upon striking the tiny dragon the lightning immediately disappeared, leaving Kaida looking unscathed. The dragon blinked his blue eyes before letting out a big yawn, his quills relaxing only somewhat.

“Well... that was more dull than I anticipated.” Grappler sneered, earning a glare from Kaida who let out a cough in the blue robot's direction, a small bolt of lightning coming out.

“Kaida can absorb the bolts as we keep moving.” Star hastily explained, looking a bit better upon her summon's absorption of the lightning. “Bolts will sustain him.”

“Let's take the lady's word and go!” Zapper exclaimed, looking ready to grab a Zako soldier as a personal lightning rod.

“All right everyone, here comes another; as soon as it hits we're taking off.” Captain announced, scanning the area above them. “We'll keep Kaida in the front of the group and move formation accordingly.”

Only a few seconds later the lightning came down, connecting with the small dragon who appeared to be enjoying himself.

“Go!” The group bolted, dashing in the direction that Star pointed with the talisman. Kaida sped ahead of them, the little dragon proving his agility impressive. Star called out to him in her language and the summon flew a few feet above the group.

“Well, this isn't so bad. I was half expecting to suddenly be attacked in order to liven things up! Though the party is a little dead.” GunEagle announced as the group hurried through the icy caverns, dodging bolts with the help of Kaida's diverting.

“All we need is for that pincushion to fail and then one of us is going to become a pile of roasted scrap!” Grappler griped as he kept the pace, trying to hold his clawed hand close and therefore out of detection of the lightning; presently he wished he had his missile arm instead.

“If you're so worried about being zapped, why not let the little guy sit on your head? The highest point in the area does usually attract lightning.” GunEagle pointed out.

“I’m starting to think having horns on one’s helmet is not a good idea in a lightning storm.” Bakunetsumaru flinched as yet another bolt flew toward them, only to be intercepted by Kaida at the last second. The thunder clapped angrily.

“This really would be amazing if this wasn’t really life threatening dangerous.” Shute called out, sneaking glances at the ice around them as well as the display of lightning.

“Is it just me or is he getting bigger?” Bakunetsumaru snatched a look at the miniature dragon as the group hurried, dodging yet another bolt.

“Kaida can absorb lightning and redirect it as an attack or simple deflection. Other times he eats it as food and can store it for a future attack. The more he stores, the larger he gets.” Star informed as she led the way behind her summon.

“Whoa, so, like how big can he get?” GunEagle inquired, interest in the dragon suddenly renewed. “Cuz we kinda knew a little shrimp that became huge a while back!”

Zero felt a pang in his Mana Crystal at the reference to Fenn. With the dragon roaming free, boarding on the status of feral, it made their relationship bittersweet. Still the fond memories of Fenn as a baby were enough to cherish in the beast’s absence.

“Let's hope you don't have to find out.” Star huffed, though a twinkle was in her eyes but it dimmed quickly. 

“Are we there yet, zako!?” The Zako Soldiers howled, clinging to one another as they scurried across the icy floor, letting out shrieks as bolts missed them.

“This way!” Star pointed, the talisman still glowing.

“Uh, there are more bolts forming!” Shute nervously pointed out, seeing multiple lines of light beginning, sure to hit within the next second.

“Kaida is a spirit of lightning, he should be able to handle it.” Zero reassured, “Besides I can still use a forcefield.”

Kaida simply flew along, seemingly untroubled. The little dragon's quills quivered as the electricity in the air drew static but no bolts came towards him.

“Haha, hey Shute, your hair is standing up!” GunEagle gleefully pointed out, the human's hair indeed looking rather frizzy as the electricity in the atmosphere increased. Quickly Shute tried to smooth it down, anxiously eyeing the flashes of light around them.

“Watch out!” Bakunetsumaru exclaimed, dodging as another bolt came hurtling toward them. This time the lightning came towards the Axian robots, seemingly attracted to their commander fins.

Immediately Kaida flew toward them, hurtling towards Dom who was slowed down even more so than usual due to JunMai. Surprisingly however Zapper showed an amazing display of agility as he dashed away, pulling his Zako Soldiers along with him as they clung to one another. The bolt collided with Kaida just a few feet from where Zapper had just been standing as well as where Dom was about to step.

“Woo yeah! That's right! Number one superstar!” Zapper exclaimed, pumping his arm up while doing a rock on hand gesture. “In your face!” He shouted, pointing at Grappler who appeared as unimpressed as ever. Kaida looked slightly disturbed for a moment before suddenly sneezing, a small spark shooting out of his mouth; instantly he looked relieved though the spark managed to get Zapper who let out a yelp of surprise.

“Come on, let's hurry it up! We don't have time for your clowning around.” Grappler sneered, continuing the trek while Zapper rubbed his behind where Kaida had accidentally gotten him. Dom however appeared interested.

“Dah, good dragon. Next time make boom.”

“How about no booms while we're in this place?” Shute suggested, keeping his hands on top of his head in order to keep his hair down. “Let's just hurry and get out of here without any accidents.”

“You heard him! It's go go time!” GunEagle called out as he charged forward, aiming to take the lead, or at least be at the front with Star in order to see the direction of the paper talisman.

“I think we're close.” Star announced as the spell tag's glow intensified. “Just a bit further!” In the meantime Kaida flew a bit higher, causing more bolts to be attracted to him with lesser of a threat to the group. He dove down towards them once in a while when a stray bolt headed for them but for the most part the growing dragon zipped back and forth with easy speed.

“What are those?” Captain inquired, pointing to balls of sparks that were increasingly amassing above. The shape would distort once in a while but for the most part they were masses of lightning though no bolts seemed forcibly attracted to them like Kaida. “My scanners indicate they're pure lightning as well as some other form of energy.”

“ _Rai oni_!” Star called out, her purple eyes wide as soon as she spotted the strange masses of lightning.

“Rye onions?” GunEagle squinted at the strange things. “I guess they do look like onions... more like electric dust bunnies.”

“Lightning ogres!” Star hastily translated, “Entities of pure lightning! Like how the ice crawlers were formed! Wild, corrupt pure magic beings!”

“In other words: Bad news! Let's move it!” Bakunetsumaru concluded, picking up the pace, knowing if he pulled his katanas out here he very well would be struck by the lightning. 

“Dah, I like to move it, move it.” Dom sang in a monotone voice while the hoard of Zakos all screamed in less amusement, “Move it!”

“I had no idea they would appear! Just keep going! Kaida will keep us covered!” Star instructed, pointing ahead with the talisman, “Try to avoid getting shocked! He might not be able to divert all the bolts!”

“Oh **now** she tells us. I feel **really** comfortable right now!” Grappler exclaimed as he ran, rolling his eye.

“Yeah, given some of us basically have lightning rods on our heads!” Zapper added to the complaint, nearly slipping on the icy floor as the group hurried to get away from the area.

Just then a warped cackle filled the air, sounding like a bunch of static electricity zaps going off at once. The misshaped balls of lightning momentarily gained some shape, appearing to have arms and a head that was formed out of lightning but quickly lost it. Letting out angry sounds they flew down towards the group, shooting bolts from their bodies and would be mouths.

“Here they come!” Shute warned, ducking his head. “I just hope my clothes are insulted with rubber or else one hit with a bolt and I'm toast!”

“Yo, little dude!” GunEagle hollered at Kaida, drawing the small dragon's attention toward them. Immediately he dove toward the advancing entities, snapping at their very essence. The lightning beings let out more angry sounds, shooting lightning at their antagonizer but Kaida simply absorbed the attacks with ease. Warped sounds of frustration escaped them as Kaida sapped away their magic with every bite he landed.

“Whoa, look at the little guy go!” GunEagle beamed in awe at the dragon that was now clearly growing in size as he engaged in direct contact with constant lighting energy.

“Look where you are going!” Bakunetsumaru warned, causing the aerial gundam to avoid running into an ice pillar that everyone else dodged around.

“Ha! Just keeping you on your toes!”

“Are you sure we're not going around in circles?” Shute shouted to be heard over the battle sounds happening overhead.

“Yes! The spell tag is pointing in that direction.” Star assured, holding up the quivering glowing talisman. The group followed her lead while the persistent lightning creatures chased them though Kaida did his best to deter the foes.

“There! Right there! I see an opening!” Zero pointed where there indeed appeared to be a hole within the caverns’ walls.

“Then what are we waiting for?” Grappler shouted, suddenly bolting for the front of the group. “Last one out is a chew toy for those monsters!”

“You don't have to tell me twice!” Zapper roared back, racing after his comrade while the Zako Soldiers quickly followed like ducklings trailing their mother.

The race to the exit seemed to take forever as time appeared to slow. Shute's ears pounded with the sound of thunder clapping and lightning sizzling as well as his own rapid heartbeat. 

GunEagle let out a haughty laugh as he blazed past the others, “Slowpokes! Even without my wings I can beat you!”

“Just shove it and move! We don't want to die here! Especially not when the last thing we ever hear is your loud mouth!” Grappler snapped, plotting to get back at the aerial gundam eventually.

“Go!” Bakunetsumaru commanded, slipping on the icy floor. The samurai caught himself but slid towards the exit while he attempted to gain traction once more.

“Everyone hurry!” Captain glanced back toward Kaida and his opponents, his scanner active. “I'm detecting irregular energy and fluctuating atmosphere readings. We might have a giant storm in a few minutes if those lightning beasts become more agitated!”

“Quick, Shute! You go first!” Zero called, the boy not daring to complain as the electricity in the air increased, the crackling now fiercer. 

He raced through the doorway, wincing as a large crack of lightning went off, followed by the bellow of one of the lightning ogres. As soon as the human passed through the doorway, the electricity in the air ceased. Taking some steps forward before turning around, Shute looked back to where the others were.

“Hey! You guys! It's safe! There's no lightning! Hurry up!”

“No need to tell me twice and as if there should be any more bolts!” Grappler snarled, pushing past the others with Zapper close behind, followed by the Zako Soldiers. Immediately the robots took a look around and let out a groan. “Not more tunnels!”

Captain, Bakunetsumaru and GunEagle quickly followed after; next came Dom with JunMai in his arms while Zero brought up the rear. Star however lingered, having fallen to the back of the group, casting glances back at Kaida every now and then.

“Alright, we're through! Milady!” Zero called out, waving at Star to hasten as the storm within the caverns increased.

“You go on, I'll catch up in a minute! There's no time to lose, just cover your audio receivers!” Star responded waving them on. “You're all safe now, the lightning can't get outside of this area yet!”

“What about you?” Captain inquired, “It's imperative you stay with us! You have our only means of guidance!”

“I'm not going anywhere. But you might want to cover your audio receivers.” The gundamess responded before turning back around. “Kaida!” Star shouted as the now larger dragon continued to fight with the lightning entities, taking hits. Clapping her hands over her audio receivers she yelled her loudest, _“Unari!”_

Kaida's blue eyes flashed as he snapped at his opponents, managing to disintegrate a barely tangible leg of one of the ogres. As the roars of the beasts filled the air, the dragon drew back from them, pumping his now mighty wings. The quills on his body quivered as the air surged around him while the lightning was drawn in. His chest puffed up as he reared his head back, a hissing sound escaping him as air was drawn in.

“Get ready!” Star hollered to the rest of the group who for the most part followed her advice; being Dom's hands weren't free, the big robot simply untucked one arm from under JunMai and easily plucked up one of the Zako Soldiers and draped it on top of his head, making a form of earmuffs while the Zako itself pressed its hands to its head.

The lightning ogres, seeing a hesitation in their opponent's attacks began to change into more monstrous shapes as they flew towards Kaida and the exit. Kaida however didn't give them a chance; the dragon's head whipped back around, his eyes set as his chest expanded to its fullest. With jaws snapping wide the summoned beast let out a roar unlike anyone had ever heard, causing the ground to shake and air vibrate.

The lightning ogres appeared caught off guard for as the soundwave of the roar hit them they began to disintegrate, parts of their matter breaking away and dissipating; their screeches of protest were drowned out by the monstrous roar from Kaida who kept roaring for what seemed like forever.

When it was over the beasts were nowhere to be seen, save for little particles of light floating around while lightning flashed in the distance. Kaida remained flying, casting a cool gaze around for any sign of his opponents, a low rumble escaping him.

“Whoa, what happened? I couldn't see it all through the doorway!” GunEagle demanded, trying to peer back into the caverns.

“What was that?” Bakunetsumaru exclaimed, his brown eyes wide as he lowered his hands from his audio receivers.

“It's Kaida's _otakebi_ ; his war cry. Not only can he absorb and release lightning but when he gets enough energy he can unleash a bellow like thunder itself.” Star appeared to beam with pride, “It'll disorient them long enough to keep them away for a while as they try to reform; we'll be long gone by that time and they can't exist without the constant source of electricity to give chase, not yet anyways.” 

The gundamess exited the cavern, joining the others outside while Kaida took a few more moments before deciding to join them. Thankfully the exit was large enough to accommodate the dragon's current size.

“Simply astounding.” Zero marveled, his teal eyes wide as Kaida looked rather content with himself, his quills now relaxed.

“Thanks, Kaida.” Shute waved to the dragon whose size was now just above the boy's head. The dragon looked at him curiously but seemed to get the idea. Star spoke to him, translating to which the summon let out a low rumble. He then pressed his head against Star, staring as she gently petted him. The two remained in silence for a few moments, a private conversation seemingly passing between. Eventually Kaida blinked and bowed his head, letting out another rumble.

“Kaida will remain vigilant here until he feels it is safe then he will cancel the summon. I only have to call and he'll be teleported to where we are if I need to summon him again. In the meantime he's going to gather energy since my current magic capabilities cannot sustain him.” Star explained as Kaida gave Grappler a rather heated look, obviously remembering the earlier insult. The blue robot however met the glare evenly, challenging the dragon to try something despite the Zako Soldiers pleading not to anger the “giant zap lizard.”

“Ugh, all this hocus pocus has got my wires in a knot.” Zapper complained, scratching his head. “Just give me a gun and it'll solve all our problems.”

“Couldn’t you have warned us about those things earlier? Those ugly ice caterpillars were a bad enough surprise.” GunEagle shrugged, “Had I known in advance I could have put up a good fight.”

“I'm sorry. Those unnatural creatures only just started appearing not that long ago and I wasn't sure if they would show up since they were so rare. So far they can't exist outside of the Lightning Caverns but it's clear that the Planet's Core is getting more unstable. Since I have Kaida so I saw no sense to worry but this is concerning.” Star shook her head, “But we should be safe from here on out until we reach the camp.”

“And how much further is that?” Zapper complained, gesturing to the tunnel ahead of them. “There's bound to be a ton more tunnels awaiting us!”

“Not much, Zakuro.”

“It's Zapper **Zaku** you crazy-!”

Kaida let out a deep growl, taking a step toward the robot who immediately jumped away. Star reassuringly patted the dragon, whispering something to him.

“Come on, guys. Let's just keep going! We can relax when we get to camp!” Shute encouraged, “We have to be close!”

“We're wasting time and energy.” Bakunetsumaru added, growing restless. 

“Fine, but it better not be half another day until we reach it.” Zapper snapped, edging away from Kaida who looked ready to bite him as well as Grappler.

“Just wait and see.” Zero insisted though he was feeling rather disappointed as well. However the long treks were understandable as even navigating through the tunnels around Lacroa was a feat in itself.

“Come on, vámonos!” GunEagle shouted, startling everyone. The aerial gundam waved them toward the tunnel. “Everybody let's go!”

With a few of the members waving goodbye to Kaida the group headed where the talisman pointed. GunEagle in the meanwhile, much to some annoyance, continued in a singsong voice, “Come on, let's get to it; I know that we can do it!” 

“I’m going to get to **something** if he doesn’t shut up.” Grappler promised venomously. Shute concluded the rookie might have watched a certain show a few too many times with Nana.

Thankfully the song didn't last for long and the group kept moving. Another hour went by though any attempts to ease its passing failed, namely the limited game of “I Spy.” It became worse after another hour passed and tempers flared once more. After avoiding another fight amongst themselves as bickering broke out, time seeming to stretch on forever, there came a break.

“We're here.” Star announced, causing the group to halt as they reached yet another open area. The talisman in her hand glowed brightly and quivered rapidly far more than it had in the past. Everyone looked around but saw nothing; there appeared to be no sign of an encampment.

“I think those lightning bolts got to her CPU.” Grappler scoffed, folding his arms. “There's nothing here!”

“Dah, more than meets the eye maybe?” Dom suggested, shrugging his large shoulders as he held onto JunMai.

Ignoring the comments Star lifted the talisman up and let it go; the piece of paper flew up and hovered in the air. As it shone brightly ripples began to appear before the group as space was distorted. After a few moments the empty area before them shimmered away as the talisman dissolved the cloaking spell. With the magic now dispelled the group saw a new tunnel that snaked downward.

While everyone stared in disbelief the turquoise gundamess gestured with relief in her eyes, “Welcome to our camp.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Visual Ref~  
> [Kaida](https://www.deviantart.com/cinnamonroe/art/Kaida-of-the-Lightning-739053819)  
> \--
> 
> Pop culture refs:
> 
> “Gotta go fast” (Sonic the Hedgehog)  
> “Volunteer as tribute” (The Hunger Games)  
> “Whoo yeah! That's right! Number one superstar!” (Wander over Yonder, Lord Hater)  
> “Move it, move it” (song)  
> “Travel Song” (Dora the Explorer)  
> “More than Meets the Eye” (Transformers)
> 
> -  
> Translations:
> 
> zakuro // pomegranate  
> ikazuchi no seirei... deru // lightning spirit... come forth  
> rai oni // lightning ogre  
> unari // roar/bellow  
> otakebi // roar (war cry) 
> 
> \--  
> Credits:
> 
> Kaon © PumpkinaChai


	8. The Heroes' Respite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the safety of the camp the group takes some time to get their bearings and rest. While various members are tended to for healing others do their part to help out and learn more about Kendra and their hosts. However despite the reprieve heavy thoughts weigh on more than one person....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First version of this chapter was posted in 2015 exclusively on my deviantart.
> 
> You can read the PDF version of this [here](https://www.deviantart.com/cinnamonroe/art/Kibou-Hoshi-Chapter-8-568968557)

[ ](https://www.deviantart.com/cinnamonroe/art/Kibou-Hoshi-Chapter-8-568968557)  


“Hiding a camp in plain sight, who would’ve thought it?” GunEagle marveled as he looked around at the magically cloaked tunnel that apparently led to their destination.

“Apparently not you.” Grappler jabbed, sneering at the aerial gundam who in turn rolled his eyes and mocked by using his hands to imitate the blue robot's mouth.

“So, who's going to be waiting for us?” Shute asked as the group went down the tunnel. The boy glanced around and noticed various things were carved on the walls, namely strange characters that were surely the native language.

“I'm not certain. There might be no one as they may have relocated and left another item behind to led us to them. In the meantime we can rest and regroup.”

“Oh great so we'll have another journey on our hands.” Grappler complained, throwing his hands up into the air. “Next we'll have to fight for our lives against leftovers left out in the snow too long.”

“Shush!” Zero hissed, gesturing, “I think I hear something.”

“Wait! You should stay here.” Star turned toward the others, “JunMai and I are expected back and if the others are still around they might react hostilely at the sight of you.” Her gaze fell namely upon the Axians to which Zapper stomped his foot, 

“Bigots!”

“It'll just take a second for me to scout it out. If there's anything wrong you'll be able to lend aid swiftly. Besides, this is nothing compared to breaking into the fortress.” She started down the tunnel but did not get far out of the sight of the group.

“Hoshiko!” A chorus of voices suddenly called out. 

Without warning multiple gundamesses appeared, a few embracing Star, some laughing while others looked on the verge of tears. Babbling in native tongue quickly broke out, swamping the outsiders as they were lost without translation, either due the speech’s speed or the Core’s powers wanning or both. Star appeared to be the most relaxed since the group had met her, letting out a laugh and returning the hugs.

“ _Chotto matte!_ One at a time!” The turquoise gundamess waved her hand though her happiness was obvious. “Yes, I'm alright! _Arigato_. I missed you all; I'm so glad you're safe! But why are you still here? The Demon King could find our camp-”

“We didn't want to move without JunMai, even if she had the locator talisman.” A larger red gundamess informed, her bright green eyes firm. “Leaving without you was hard enough. Besides, Chieko had a vision that you would be coming back soon.”

“Did I some how die, though it was an awesome hero's death, and go to heaven?” GunEagle asked, his emerald eyes large as he stared at the newcomers as Star continued to socialize.

“Who are they?” A light yellow gundamess pointed out, her light blue eyes trained on the SDG members who lingered behind.

“Ah, Sango. This is the SDG, the Gundam Force. They came to my rescue and assisted JunMai.” Star hastily explained, glancing over to see that the Axians had ducked out of view, “And before you react: they're on our side.”

“Why would we? They're gundams!” The red gundamess exclaimed, sizing up the newcomers. “Except for that organic; is it a summon? They don't look quite Kendrian but something is familiar about a couple of them.” She nodded at Zero and Bakunetsumaru.

“They're not, they're from off-world along with a human; their job is to assist all dimensions in need. They also have some allies who are reformed so don't attack them. Really there is much more to tell but first we are in much need of a respite.”

“Of course! After all that you've been through, it's a miracle! We were so worried neither of you would make it! But, wait, where's JunMai?”

“Dah, cremecicle lady here.” Dom's deep voice abruptly boomed down the tunnel, causing everyone to jump. The purple and red robot stepped into view from around the bend, proudly displaying the unconscious gundamess in his arms. Behind him Zapper and Grappler hissed at him to come back but they were already exposed along with the Zako Soldiers who let out shrieks.

“The Dark Axis!” The red gundamess exclaimed, her bright green eyes narrowing upon seeing Dom, the simple-minded robot harmlessly holding JunMai. The other gundamesses recoiled in horror while a few looked ready to fight, “What did you do to JunMai? Hoshiko what's going on, have you been corrupted?”

“Here we go again.” Grappler rolled his eye, fed up with the same old welcome.

“Ringo! She's all right just unconscious! JunMai transferred her energy to me since I was drained. This good robot-” Star looked to the others as the name escaped her.

“Dom.” Shute hissed to help, holding his hands up to show he was defenseless.

“Dom carried her all the way here.” She concluded, stepping between the two groups. “I will explain everything in a little bit but they're here to lend aid; I promise you I'm not letting vipers into our haven.”

“Well, if you trust them we will comply but with caution,” Ringo replied after a few tense minutes, namely after an opaque pink gundamess hastily whispered something. She relaxed slightly but still gave the group a seething look. “You're not obviously under the influence of the Demon King but those others might be deceptive,” She looked at Star, silence passing for a few moments, then Ringo appeared to relax, throwing her arms around Star, “Hoshiko, _okaerinasai_!”

Star let out a little laugh, returning the hug, “ _Tadaima_. It's good to be back.”

“Firstly Kotone and Yuka will heal you and JunMai. When you are better we can hear about your tale of escape and then figure out what comes next.” Ringo gestured to be followed, the rest of the gundamesses flocking around Star, talking rapidly and hurrying her along while a few pressed Dom forward as he held JunMai. 

“We'll lend you any aid as well since you helped Hoshiko and JunMai. But if you try anything I swear you'll wish you were at the mercy of the Demon.” Ringo warned, pivoting toward the group and pointing a finger at the Dark Axis robots. “We beat you once and we'll do it again.”

“Ooo, I like her.” GunEagle informed gleefully while Bakunetsumaru muttered,

“You like all girls.”

“What can I say? I have a great sense of knowing what's awesome. Personal experience.” The aerial gundam gestured to himself, “Including this ultimate creation of awesome.” With a spring in his step he followed the troop of gundamesses.

“Let's just get to camp before I shove snow down that gundam's exhaust vents.” Grappler mildly threatened as he rolled his lone eye. “I didn't even know I could be nauseous until I got stuck with this lot.”

“I ain't cleaning up that mess.” Zapper informed as he stomped after the group while the Zako Soldiers flocked after him.

“Perhaps we can establish contact with the base.” Captain spoke, namely to Shute as the others passed by. “Connection with Neotopia may not be as difficult once we reach the refuge. One of the Kendrians might be able to help us due to the storm and magical interference.”

“I sure hope so, or else we're going in without any backup from home.” Shute shivered in part from dread as well as the cold though it didn't compare to the storm outside the caverns. “It would be nice to have more supplies and equipment.”

“Yes, but at least we have more allies.” Captain responded with optimism. “First we must prove our goodwill though Miss Star seems to be doing her best to help.”

“That might be a bit of a challenge.” Shute noted as he thought of Ringo's icy tone. That alone could send a frigid chill throughout the boy's body. Given her unknown magical ability she probably could do just that. Silently he hoped not; it felt wintry enough as it was. “Let's just hurry up with the others.”

It wasn't a long walk to the encampment itself from the tunnel. Shute wondered had they not been with any of the Kendrians would they have sprung various traps or faced yet another maze. Thankfully that was not the case as the short trek was uneventful.

The tunnel lead to a wide-open area that had doorways that led to rooms though there were a few hallways as well leading to the momentarily unknown. The layout reminded him of ice rooms he'd seen in one of his mom's magazines where people sometimes built ice castles with rooms for boarders; those were much more elegant with an artistic flair but the “camp” was not exactly crude. It seemed more like an established base or shelter than a typical refugee camp. 

What surprised Shute however was there seemed to be a miniature apple tree planted in a small patch of soil; it bore only blossoms but that was a feat in itself given its murderous winter surroundings. The air even seemed a bit warmer, perhaps because they were further underground or due to the power of the Kendrian gundams. 

GunEagle let out a whistle, “Quite a place you got here.” He looked around, truly impressed but glanced at their hosts in hopes of earning some grace points; instead he was met by the watchful gaze of Ringo and an exasperated eyeroll from Star. 

“We do what we can with what we're dealt. Yet it does not compare to what we're used to and are fighting to take back.” Ringo stated, her bright green eyes vengeful.

“There's no place like home.” GunEagle mused, nodding in earnest.

“Is there a designated room where JunMai can get the aid she requires?” Captain inquired as he gazed about. He refrained from switching on his external eye scanner to avoid possible provocation from obvious analysis of seemingly inadequate facilities. 

Ringo gave Captain an intense look that tried to read his intentions, ready to pick a fight and challenge if he was belittling their conditions. Unfortunately for her he was the most calculating and practical of the group; Captain simply stared back with calm blue eyes waiting for an answer. 

Star immediately cut in, sensing the tension, “That room over there. Please see her first, I can wait though if any others have serious injuries they must be attended to next.”

“Dah, me take her.” Dom affirmed and he made his way to where Star pointed, carefully holding the limp JunMai. Two gundamesses, presumably Kotone and Yuka, followed at a distance to the appointed room, shooting skeptical glances at the hulking robot. The honey colored gundamess whispered something to her lilac companion who nodded. The big robot paused with JunMai in his arms, “Where you want gundam lady?”

Silently Zero as well as Shute thanked the heavens the clueless robot had not used a food item again to describe his charge; Adding anything with “-icle” seemed potentially dangerous given the wariness the others had about their winter enveloped home world. While Shute doubted anyone who had not spent enough time in Neotopia would know what a cremecicle was, let alone a popsicle, it was better safe than sorry.

“Sakura.” The lilac colored gundamess gestured and the opaque pink colored gundamess followed as well. She marched up to Dom and gave him a swift look over. Slowly she reached up and gently touched his arm before pointing,

“Here.”

The big robot happily complied and gently put JunMai down on an ice slab that served as a crude bed. As he was doing so Sakura nodded to the two healers who looked relieved though still on guard. He then backed away so JunMai could be attended to while Sakura said something to him that the others couldn't hear.

“What was that about?” Bakunetsumaru wondered out loud while Grappler and Zapper looked indignant.

“Yeah that better not have been some kind of flirting!” Grappler exclaimed, looking disgusted as well as mortified at the thought.

“Flirting my foot! If I see something like that I'll put a screw in my eye!” Zapper lamented as if he'd seen the end of the world.

“You're just jealous the big guy has got his game on better than you two.” GunEagle taunted, his emerald eyes glittering with amusement. This only earned him an audio full of moans from the two robots and their minions.

“Sakura can sense the wellbeing of others simply by being near them and thus know how ill they are. She gets a clearer picture when she touches them. At times she can even sense the wellbeing of their soul, meaning if they have evil intentions their souls are sick; if they mean no harm or lack ill intent their souls are well.” Ringo explained, looking annoyed by the noise though perhaps more so by the deemed harmlessness.

“A walking lie detector of sorts.” Shute looked intrigued, his green eyes wide. “But for emotions and character; so **that's** how you knew Star wasn't controlled by the Demon King.”

“Sounds a bit like psychometry or rather psychoscopy.” Captain remarked, looking thoughtful as he went over his databanks. “In Neotopia we have had no such cases, merely theories. I'm certain Zero would know more as his home world of Lacroa was filled with possibilities my home did not have without the aid of science.”

“Indeed there are those in Lacroa with abilities beyond what most are born with.” The knight confessed, as it was no secret about the magical abilities most Lacroans had. “Even Princess Rele possesses the gift of prophecy to some extent.”

Thoughts of home immediately filled his processors and Zero wondered how his beloved princess was fairing as well as his recovering homeland. Homesickness started to crawl its way through his circuits but he denied it, telling himself he'd be back in Lacroa soon enough as soon as Kendra was delivered from tyrannical hands. As soon as possible he'd contact the Princess.

“I'm curious about all these lovely ladies' abilities as well. With all this magic in the air who knows the possibilities? Think there's room for a love doctor?” GunEagle announced, winking at the group of gundamesses. A couple flushed, a few rolled their eyes and the Gundam Force mainly gave inward groans.

“You may make yourselves at home. You're free to explore what rooms we have but if you need a healer you'd best stay close to here.” Ringo instructed, glancing at Star who nodded. “Kotone and Yuka will hopefully be done with JunMai soon in the Healing Room but I can't promise anything.”

“That's alright, Miss Ringo.” Captain agreed with a nod, “JunMai's health is currently the most critical of our group. It is of utmost importance she is restored to consciousness. Miss Star needs attendance next and then Shute as I'm worried about him being in this harsh environment.”

Shute waved his hands, “I'm okay, really. Sure I'm not used to subzero temperatures but as long as I'm warm I'm fine.”

“We're not complete strangers to non-gundam needs. If you need something just ask. Thanks to our spells there shouldn't be too much of a language barrier.” Ringo briskly added though it was not completely unkind. “If you'll excuse me.” The red gundamess dipped her head in a slight bow out of politeness before heading over to the out of place apple tree.

“Brrr, is it just me or is someone's magic powers related to ice?” Zapper muttered a little too loudly before Bakunetsumaru “accidentally” stepped on his foot as he moved over. The robot let out a grunt of protest, his attention diverted.

“Don't think lesser of any of them if they don't warm up to you right away.” Star turned her purple eyes toward the foreigners. “Besides, you have the wrong gundam when talking about ice powers. Ringo's talent is with plants as you can see with her tree.”

“Great she'll gross us out with more disgusting organic stuff in this place. If it wasn't such a frozen wasteland I'd say it would be perfect for the Dar-” Grappler found himself cut off by Zero who with a flick of his wrist created a bandage that slapped itself across the blue robot's mouth.

“Just give her a reason and I'm sure she'd love to show off her abilities besides making blooms.” Zero hissed a warning as the Grappler glared at him and tried to rip of the bandage, muffled protests escaping him. The Zako Soldiers let out squeaks of terror before covering their eyes, mouthpieces or audio receivers as the collective swore good behavior.

 

The mix band of heroes were more or less left to their own devices with the exception of the careful watch of Ringo and a few others; meanwhile Star conversed with most of her fellow Kendrians, explaining all that had transpired with occasional clarification from the Gundam Force. The atmosphere was tense though the soothing sound of song helped ease it along with the calming scents that drifted from the Healing Room. The gundams and robots along with Shute did their best to converse with the others such as learning names though GunEagle was the frontrunner on that mission and beyond. Eventually Shute wandered to look around by himself.

“Are you hungry, Shute?” 

The boy startled as he looked at the speaker who happened to be Star, the gundamess having finished her report to her comrades. What caught him off guard was the fact it was the first time the gundamess had used his name.

“Uh, yeah.” He confessed before quickly adding with a dismissive wave, “But it's okay! Don't go out of your way for me. I actually packed some snacks, thanks though. What about you? Are you okay? Shouldn't you be in the Healing Room?”

“In time.” Star assured though her purple eyes seemed dimmer, “I'd be worse off if JunMai hadn't transferred magic to me or Zero hadn't some of my essence clinging to him. I managed while being drained, I can hold on longer now that I have more energy unlike when we met.”

“I think it's okay for you to take it easy.” The human voiced, thinking of when they'd found Star attached to the strange device that siphoned her energy. “If you push yourself too hard you'll end up worse.”

“Yeah and then we'd have that crazy orange gundamess bossing us around while the red one plots how to disassemble us.” Zapper complained, the burgundy robot seeming to dodge glares from their hosts. 

“Hoshiko.” Sakura called out as she made her way over, trailed by Dom like a stray dog following her home. Before the sensory gundamess could say more a more eager reporter beat her,

“Dah, cremecicle lady okay. Me saw her open eyes before she go to sleep again. Song lady said she resting but be up soon. Magic took toll but not bad.” The giant robot announced to not only Star but also the rest of the gathered persons. Instantly some of the tension in the atmosphere vanished, though spirits still seemed a bit grim despite the earlier cheer upon the return of their lost companions.

“Kotone and Yuka are almost finished with JunMai. She's stable and there is no immediate harm done; she is simply exhausted but should be awake soon enough. You however must be attended to next.” Sakura confirmed, concern in her brown eyes.

The turquoise gundamess nodded, her helmet’s ribbons swaying with the motion. “Coming.” Star paused for a moment to address Shute and the rest of the Gundam Force as well the Axians, “If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask. We, if not I, are indebted to you all for your assistance in my rescue and alliance in fighting the Demon King. I intend to extend better hospitality after I return.”

Shute gave a reassuring wave as Star walked off, leaving Dom behind to join up with his comrades. However the big robot towered over the human, causing momentary intimidation. “She be okay. Me no have to carry around lady gundam no more.”

The human nodded, appreciating the robot's reassurance though he hoped the words were true. He followed after Dom to where the others were together though GunEagle was continuing to talk to whoever listened while Zero attempted to converse with others besides the Force. 

“How did you manage to do all this? Hard to imagine you had to do this all by hand.” Zero confessed his curiosity as well as other team members’, trying to rein the conversation toward casualty. The Winged Knight gazed around at the ice rooms surrounding them. “You have my profound wonder and appreciation for such fine work.” 

“Some was natural, others parts we indeed did by hand. Namely Miyuki did it all as her talent is with snow and ice. We've had to move multiple times so we try to make ourselves comfortable but be practical as it would be wasted effort only to lose yet another hideout. We literally must uproot ourselves.” The indigo gundamess, having introduced herself as Ai, explained gesturing to the silver gundamess with blue eyes. “Two months of the Demon King's terror and we're already exhausted.”

“But you'd been fighting the Dark Axis before that for months! No wonder you're tired.” Shute insisted as he came over, trying to lighten the sudden gloom that descended. “It's amazing how long you've been fighting!”

“If you can call it fighting as we hide and plot our next move. We're the only ones left as far as we know. Everyone else has been captured or...” Ringo interjected but trailed off, her eyes casting downward as her Kendrian comrades looked subdued.

“This is all of you? Aren't there more in the other rooms? Where are all the guys? We seem to be the only ones.” Shute asked, looking around at their Kendrian company.  
GunEagle murmured, “Don't question heaven's gift.” 

“We are a mere splinter remnant of a larger group that got captured some time before Hoshiko was. We just happened to be the only ones to escape. We left many behind. Friends and family.” Ai solemnly explained, her voice soft and patient.

The calmness that had unknowingly seeped its way amongst those gathered vanished as a mahongany gundamess started crying. Instantly a couple of her friends began consoling her, reassuring that her twin was all right. The atmosphere seemed to struggle between peace and tension while the weeping gundamess tried to control herself.

“Kaede's twin brother Momiji was left behind. They bring calm and soul healing but without him she says it's like part of her is missing.” Ringo informed in a low tone, shaking her head sadly. “We're all suffering from loss and distress but there those of us whose magic abilities are affected as well. It's a slow healing process that can't truly start until the Demon King is defeated and we know the other's fates for certain.”

“Surely you're not truly the last.” Bakunetsumaru exclaimed, his brown eyes shimmering with sympathy. “This is a large planet, right?”

“There could be other groups out there but we've had no luck in contacting them. Some may simply be trapped underground. ” Chieko responded, the purple and gold gundamess shaking her head. “In honest I do not know for certain. I could not foresee your group’s arrival so anything is possible as long as the Planet's Core still lives.” 

“There's always hope, that's why the _Kibou Hoshi_ exists from what I understand.” Zero spoke, his voice full of certainty. “Your world wants its inhabitants to have something to believe in despite dark times. My dear home of Lacroa had a prophecy that I almost didn't believe in but it was true and my world was saved. Even now it's being restored despite the years of hardship it endured. A brighter day shall come despite how bleak it is now I promise you that. You have my word as a knight, milady.”

“We promise to help you find and rescue your loved ones. It is our mission to aid those in need and free those under the rule of tyrants. Our goal as the Gundam Force and SDG is to restore balance.” Captain assured with a nod, the military gundam's blue eyes unwavering. “We will set Kendra free.”

“More like lay the beat-down on anyone who defies your logic. Though I personally want to bring the smackdown on the lugnut who botnapped us and tried to get us to do his dirty work. Demon King or not he's going to be crying for his mommy after I'm done with him.” Zapper exclaimed, the burgundy robot steaming over the remembrance of his forced servitude. He punched a fisted hand into the other. “Nobody makes a fool out of the mighty Zapper Zaku except for himself!”

“I'm not all for your sappy feelingness but I'll gladly fight the one who made me his puppet. I'm eager to show him my slice and dice skills up close.” Grappler agreed, sneering as he lifted up his clawed hand, flexing the razor sharp metal fingers. “Count me in but don't call me a member of Team Hope or something lame like that.”

“Dah, me make him go boom. Free the gundams, free the world.” Dom gave his thoughts on the matter, bobbing his head. “Nice lady gundams need help. Me help.” 

The Zako Soldiers let out their exclamations of agreement as well though a few swore to skeptical looking gundamesses they were no longer Dark Axis affiliated and were freedom fighters now.

“The plants are ready for harvesting. If you are hungry now is the best time otherwise perhaps you can help.” A dark green gundamess suddenly announced, her moss green eyes knowing. She gestured to one of the rooms that she had appeared from.

“Thank you, Moriko.” Ringo expressed, looking relieved for a distraction. “The apple tree has some fruit ready as well. Your... human friend may have some if he'd like.” She paused for a moment, recalling which organic specie Shute hailed from.

“Thanks.” Shute was quick to express, deciding he'd best not refuse Kendrian hospitality once more; plus his stomach was starting to rumble despite his earlier reassurance to Star. Fresh fruit instead of snack bars and jerky sticks sounded promising. He hastened after the beckoning Moriko, “I can lend a hand too.”

“I too shall lend assistance where it is needed, Miss Moriko.” Captain volunteered, enlisting in the harvesting group that a couple gundamesses joined as well. The two Neotopians followed the dark green gundam to where she'd come from.

“You go have a ball touching all that organic stuff.” Grappler muttered, the sneer obvious in his tone though Zapper elbowed him, seeing Miyuki magically form a ball of ice in her palm while eyeing them; thanks to Star's briefing, all the present Kendrians knew about the robots’ icy prison. Miyuki however turned it into a small ice sculpture of an unknown animal, a mischievous though warning look remaining in her eyes.

Grappler started to prepare a rude gesture but Zapper smacked the non-clawed hand down, hissing, “Do you want to become a memoir of this planet's Ice Age?” 

“Look who's being a kiss-up instead of the hothead for once.” Grappler sneered to his comrade who instead made a gesture as if he would gouge out the other's eye.

“Shut it.”

“It seems like you have worked out a system for efficiency. It can be hard readjusting after a sudden change, good or bad.” Zero acknowledged, noting the delegated jobs the gundamesses had.

“We all do our share since there are only sixteen of us. We are a sisterhood and we stick together, trying to cultivate some of what was lost with the freeze. With your strength and abilities added we might have a chance in a full rescue, perhaps even a fight against the Demon King.” Chieko explained in a soothing tone, looking at the Gundam Force and the Axians. “Especially if you all are the _Kibou Hoshi_ of this tribulation.” 

“Sisterhood, huh? Got room for some boyhood?” GunEagle inquired, leaning in towards the nearest Kendrian, a silverly blue gundamess by the name of Kasumi.

“Back!” Shute announced as he emerged from the harvest room, interrupting GunEagle’s flirting. In his arms were various fruit, some looking familiar and others not, though there wasn't much. He placed what he had gathered on an ice table that Miyuki created instantly. Captain and the rest of the harvesters came with some fruit as well though it was only a few in each hand; it was a scarce resource.

“Great, **fruit**. We can pelt the Demon King with it. Too bad it isn't rotten, it would be more effective.” Grappler complained, moving to get away from the organic substance.

“Your attitude is rotten enough.” Bakunetsumaru grumbled, his eyes narrowing with disapproval.

“Thanks for the food, are you sure it's okay? Your supply seems... sacred.” Shute thanked as he took bites, choosing his words carefully for indeed the fruit was scarce but it seemed revered as well. Part of him felt funny eating it but appreciated it as the hunger was extinguished; never had he such good fruit before, including the unknown ones.

“Of course. We hardly need to eat as we survive through the planet's life force flowing through us, our Ki. Presently we are trying not to put further strain on the Planet's Core by fully depending on it so we’re consuming foods’ essense as back up to replenish our energy. Besides, the trees are happy to help the saviors of their world.” Moriko reassured, her moss green eyes twinkling, “Believe me, I know what they feel.”

“Pft, tree hugger.” Zapper snorted as he walked away only to slip on a patch of ice, landing flat on his back. The burgundy robot started flailing, spitting out curses while the Zako Soldiers attempted to push him up as he floundered like a turtle on its back. The scene earned a few snickers from the downtrodden gundamesses, including GunEagle whose barking laugh was easily distinguishable. Eventually Dom came to his foul-mouthed companion's aid, easily picking up the smaller robot and rightening him.

“Dah, mind your manners and mouth. Ladies present.”

“Shut it, gundam kiss up.” Zapper snarled, rubbing his back as his earlier injury seemed to flare up. “They just act like goody goody gundams but I bet some are just as rotten,” He murmured, not daring to challenge the gundamesses who either looked on the verge of crying, laughing or fighting as the tension was undeniable.

“Noting your former alliance with the ones who tried to invade their home not so long ago it'd be best to tread carefully.” Captain informed though Zapper did not appreciate the ironic choice of words. “You're not their enemy but resentments linger.”

“I can empathize with that.” Zapper growled, glaring at the military gundam as he scooted off with the Zako Soldiers in tow while Dom dully asked the Kendrians various questions. Meanwhile Grappler confessed to Zapper,

“I can't believe I'm saying this but I can't wait to get back to that brat Genkimaru.” 

“ **After** we make that so called king pay for making us his puppets. I had enough of that with the Dark Axis only this was beyond manipulation. We were slaves!” Zapper swore, earning the nods and sounds of agreement from his fellow robot comrades. “Being tricked is one thing but it's another when you're forced.”

“Right, zako!”

“Pay for getting us blown up and frozen, zako!”

“Dah, no let it go.”

“Take care your quest for revenge doesn't consume you.” Zero warned though the focus on taking down the Demon King gave them motivation to help the Gundam Force.

“Anger is often the fuel behind action though 78% of the time it causes impulsive responses that are later regretted for not being thought out or turn out unfavorably.” Captain stated, giving scientific backing to the Winged Knight's words.

“Yeah, and 99.9% of the time you are considerably annoying, Captain Nerd.” Grappler snapped but Captain let the remark go though Zero shook his head, sighing.

“I hate to ask... but I was wondering...” Shute began after he'd finished eating, calling attention way from the prickly robots but hesitated, feeling as if he'd imposed enough on their unfortunate hosts.

“Speak, you are welcome here.” Miyuki informed, glancing toward the not so embraced part of the group.

“Can we make a fire? It's a lot better down here than outside but it's still kinda cold.” Shute asked, starting to feel a slight chill despite his attire and the protection of the ice walls. “I have two flares left so we could use one if we need a lighter.”

“Unfortunately we are out of flammable elements. Sustaining fire is different than other elements as it is in a sense alive and takes more magic to conjure. Without fuel it will die eventually and it best works with a medium to maintain it, especially for long time use.” Sakura explained patiently. “We need either something to burn or a catalyst or blessed being with the natural ability. Currently we lack any fire casters save Star.”

“Well there's Baku, but he hasn't really been himself since we came to Kendra. Usually we can practically roast marshmallows over him when he's really fired up about something.” The human informed, pointing at the musha who presently sat on an ice bench against the far wall apparently moping. “It's okay if you can't, I'll manage since I have this jacket. This is a sauna compared to outside.”

“I can help with a spell so you don't feel the cold as much, given my gift.” Miyuki gestured to herself. “But you say your friend is not like his usual self?”

“Yeah, since we got here and rescued the others...” Shute waved toward the subdued looking Bakunetsumaru. “He hasn't been the same in spirit and fighting powers. It’s got him really down.”

“Hm.” Sakura looked thoughtful as she gazed at the musha. After a moment she strode over while Shute watched as Miyuki explained about her chill-reducing spell though it would not last forever due to magic rations.

“You are unwell.” Sakura stood before the Ark gundam, the opaque pink gundamess gazing at him with knowing brown eyes. Her hands remained by her side, not needing to touch the gundam to sense his frustration and fatigue. “Your soul is troubled though that is not the cause; something is hindering you.”

“Ah. No. Not really...” Bakunetsumaru hastily tried to dismiss the question but immediately looked embarrassed. “I can manage...”

“Hah! The poor dude can't light a fire anymore! Some Blazing Samurai!” GunEagle called out while some gundamesses were examining his strange “wings.”

“Show some respect!” The samurai shook a fist at GunEagle who laughed.

“No fire? Sounds like your elemental gift has a block. Perhaps it is a curse from the Planet's Core.” The yellow gundamess, Sango, spoke gravely with wide eyes.

“A curse!” He exclaimed, looking distraught. “But I didn't do anything! No vengeful spirits, please!”

A laugh escaped a crimson gundamess with black markings, the dark patterns lightning up with a bright green glow. “She is joking but Hotaru can make it better.” The young sounding gundamess assured, drawing near. “I am Hotaru, I am named after our illumination insects. They can create light and light comes from fire; I am like hotaru. I can give you some of my Ki so you can use your powers unhindered. You will be able to adjust to the effects from the Planet's Core then your fire will be its own once more.”

“A-are you sure?” Bakunetsumaru nervously replied, “I mean, my GunSoul is important and even though your SoulCores sound similar I don't think it's a good idea.”

“Sounds like you gotta fix your pilot light, buddy. Maybe you just gotta rekindle that old flame of yours.” GunEagle chuckled as he eavesdropped. He then began to whistle as tune that Shute immediately recognized as “This Little Light of Mine.” Thankfully Bakunetsumaru did not get the cultural jab, instead focusing on Hotaru.

“Of course, it is my pleasure to aid you. It is my world's fault you are unwell.” Hotaru reassured, “You are different, it doesn't understand right now.”

“But how is that causing me to be unable to summon my sacred fire? It's **sacred**! Am I now considered not worthy to use it? At first I thought it was the cold but harsh weather shouldn't be affecting my powers! But you say it's the planet's fault?”

“It is likely your ability is being hindered by magic rather than climate change.” Sakura clarified, “I can sense your GunSoul is indeed similar to our SoulCores but has its differences. I think given the Planet's Core's current state it is unable to adapt to suit your powers or understand you are not an invader. It is suppressing your elemental gift like a snuffer over a candle since it senses you’re not Kendrian, though similar so it may be draining your element. By sharing some of Hotaru's Ki your element should rekindle, becoming its own again as it adapts, consuming the starter. For now it will trick the Core into thinking you are Kendrian since it’s weary after the attack from the Dark Axis.”

“Hah, bet it thinks you're a virus and it's trying to fight you off.” GunEagle hollered to which Sakura nodded,

“That is a valid point, it is sick after all. Unfortunately it's hurting someone trying to help. I think we can blame the Demon King for that, due to his taint.”

“Why isn't Zero having trouble as well? He can wield magic and has elemental powers.” Bakunetsumaru complained despite feeling more hopeful.

“Maybe because some of Star's energy was with him he adapted and the Core doesn’t sense him as a threat, or it's because of his pact with Mana that he is fine.” Shute suggested, “He did say once that Mana is all over the universe. We can ask him.” He gestured to the Winged Knight who was now conversing with the standoffish Ringo who was nodding her head as he spoke, her bright green eyes intense.

“Hotaru can help you.” The crimson gundamess insisted, grabbing Bakunetsumaru's hand and tugging at him as her markings pulsed. “Best we hurry, you'll need time to adjust.”

“Will you be alright? JunMai gave some energy to Star and it made her go unconscious.” Bakunetsumaru worried though the mere thought of being able to use his powers properly again cheered him up considerably. “In fact, Zero passed out too.”

“I will be fine since it will be just a bit, but thank you. My powers cannot help directly in the battle against the Demon. It is for the best to give you aid so you are whole once more. From one light to another: go forth to burn brightly and scorch our adversary.” Hotaru's eyes were serious and sincere, a deep emotion flaring inside them.

“Let us go to the Healing Room so we can begin the transfer.” Sakura waved at Bakunetsumaru and Hotaru to follow.  
Just then Star appeared, making her way over to the others, passing Sakura who gave her a pat and Hotaru who gave her a hug. Bakunetsumaru gave a polite bow before Hotaru ushered him into the Healing Room to begin the magic transfusion.

“Miss Star, I hope you are feeling better.” Captain greeted as the gundamess drew closer. “My scanners indict your energy levels are much higher and are stabilized considerably. I am glad you are all right. How is Miss JunMai?”

“I am, thank you.” Star replied in a grateful tone though tension seemed ready to radiate off her. “JunMai is awake and resting, I was talking to her until a minute ago; she should be joining us soon once she has enough energy to walk. Thank you for your concern.”

“Hoshiko!” Ringo hurried over with Zero, looking relieved at the sight of the rejuvenated gundamess. Still the red gundamess looked solemn, noting Star's reservation.

“Lady Star, my sincerest hope your health has greatly improved.” The Winged Knight offered, watchful as he tested formalities. “You have endured much and deserve all the rest; however I can sense your magic has been fully restored, I'm glad.”

“Indeed, thank you Zero for your assistance.” Star replied with warmth but clearly distracted. “You have been a great support in my time of desperation. I haven't been able to properly thank you or the others yet. I hope to rectify the matter once this is all over.”

“I was only doing what any knight should; we are honor bound to help those in need. Besides you aided me when I was lost in that No-Man's-Zone.” Zero gave a polite bow, restraining his usual flair when amongst ladies. “It is only just to return the favor.”

“I do not mean to shift the topic to something less pleasant but,” Captain spoke up. “I think it is best we hold a meeting to formulate a plan of attack once Miss JunMai is able to join us, making sure all our allies are present.” 

“I admit this respite is nice but you’re right, time is of the essence.” Star agreed, glancing at Ringo who gave a curt nod, “Strategy is of utmost importance, we cannot afford a failure like last time. We need all the help we can get, including summons.”

“I shall debrief my comrades about what is happening, with the exception of Bakunetsumaru until he returns. In the meantime we shall begin preparations before discussing attack and infiltration.” Captain continued, giving a salute. “I shall try to get in contact with the base on Neotopia beforehand, perhaps we can get backup.”

“We will do the same.” Ringo replied, gently touching Star's arm and giving her an understanding nod. “Give us some time, we'll be ready.”

The small group dispersed, Captain to where most of his collective group stood though Zero lingered, watching Star greet her comrades. The burden on her mind was obvious, but it was hard to pinpoint what exactly with a whirlwind of untold events while those known only added to the pile of possible mental weights. True this was a respite, but it was hardly the calm before the storm as the enemy's current actions were unknown. 

The gundamesses brightened seeing Star back with improved well-being. However their demeanors changed as Star gestured, speaking in a hushed tone. For any eavesdroppers they were lost; the words too low to make out along with the translation spell granting selected privacy. The group nodded after a few minutes of discussion and she left, walking toward one of the tunnels. 

“Give her a few minutes to herself.” Ringo relayed to Zero, the knight looking concerned though he was surprised by the less intimidating tone. “She's dealing with a lot, more so than most of us...” The red gundamess trailed off, shaking her head.

“I understand the need for solitude, I felt compelled to do the same after enduring various hardships on my home world of Lacroa; I was even forced into it for a time. But you can't be alone forever or loneliness will consume you from within. I am concerned thinking of what she went through at the hands of that fiend.”

“I hate to say it but your company seems better than any we could provide; we remind her of her past and her duties, she worries about us and puts on a brave face. Knowing your connection with Hoshiko, why you came here, it's undeniable your fates are intertwined. Both of your essences were close for weeks; there's a bond you two need to sort out. It annoys me I can't do much for her, but I know what I can and that includes telling you to just be there. Wait a bit and then go after her.”

“Thanks, Lady Ringo.” Zero inclined his head, “Lady Star is truly beloved by you all, she has supportive comrades and friends. You are a good concerned friend.”

“Hm.” Ringo shrugged before punching his arm, causing the knight to flinch from the unexpected gesture. “You're not too bad yourself, but don't think I'd say the same about some of your comrades. This is war and I'm not letting my guard down, not again.”

Zero was left to wonder what the apparent third in command meant as she walked away, handing him yet another piece to a large mismatched puzzle. Not to be as useless as a statue waiting for minutes to tick by, the Winged Knight set about helping with any preparations while Star was permitted some solitude. 

 

After it seemed enough time had passed Zero decided to do as Ringo suggested while everyone else prepared for a makeshift war room and Captain attempted contact with Neotopia to no avail. He followed the tunnel down into a larger room than the others, this one's roof higher while some ice crystals hung from the ceiling almost like a chandelier. Various ice objects were about the room, including a bench that Star was sitting on as she stared at the ground, gazing at the smooth surface.

“Pardon me, Milady Star- or would you rather Lady Hoshiko?” He asked after a few moments of hesitating, not certain if now was the best time for intrusion despite Ringo's insistence.

“Just Star or Hoshiko. Both are my name, one is simply the translation. I do not mind, as I said before,” came the calm response though her voice was gentle and distant sounding as if breaking away from another emotion. “Formal title is not needed, we are all equals here.”

“Lady, ah I mean, Star... do you mind if I keep you company?” Zero tentatively asked as he approached the lone figure who appeared to be lowering her hand from her face. “If you wish solitude I do not wish to intrude, I only wanted to see if you were all right; that is, fairing better.”

She shook her head, “You may join me if you wish.” She gestured beside her though she didn't make eye contact. Zero complied, careful to maintain a reasonable distance that respected Star's space. 

After a few moments of silence the gundamess let out a sigh, “I'm sorry if my behavior seems erratic. Before, when you met me I was... I was in a vulnerable state. I don't have the luxury of being that way here so please don't be insulted if I come off distant. I keep strong for the others, to guide them without seeming to lose myself. There's so much going on in my CPU my processors won't stop; I'm trying to get clear thoughts without emotions distracting me.”

“You are an important leader, it is understandable. Not to mention you've been through a great trial, I think you're inclined to some solitude and thoughts about your own well-being.” Zero reassured, “I'm not sure how I would handle everything.”

“No, I'm hardly that. This role just fell into my lap, the Core is sovereign.” Star dismissed, waving her hand. “Given the state of things I can't add more to their despair.”

“But you do lead the others.”

“I suppose but I am hardly a leader for this group. I would rather Ringo lead but she insisted I do it, with her as my third in command while JunMai is my second. I merely took charge out of necessity in order to prevent chaos and give some certainty as our numbers dwindled; someone had to keep order, stay calm and establish hope.” 

“I think you have done just that, everyone’s reactions to your return showed that,” Zero pointed out. “Even if you became a leader out of duty.”

“Thank you, though I’m sure it’s in part not wanting to lose another to the Demon King; we’ve been through so much all at once. We were not prepared in the slightest.” 

“It would seem Kendra is usually a rather tranquil place, much like my Lacroa.”

“We mage gundams were a peaceful race ruled by no one save the laws of magic, the Planet's Core as our guide and creator. Even our elected representatives of our areas were no trouble. Once things began to fall apart, starting with the Dark Axis invasion attempt and then the Demon King's siege, the survivors became less and less, captured or going into hiding. Eventually we became the small band that we are today. I can hardly call us a rebel force.”

“What’s important is you’re together fighting to survive one way or another.”

“Everyone does their part according to their strengths but will fight if they have to. However some are mentally unprepared or simply lack abilities fit for combat but rather for support. Not all are wired for battle but can still aid for it.”

“And not all are wired for being in distress.”

Star turned toward Zero whose teal eyes shone with sincerity. “Most of the fair maidens I've met need some form of rescue and I'm use to it; it's part of my chivalry as well duty I suppose. In truth it seemed you too at first given our meeting and then the at the fortress; however you’ve shown you are quite capable and resourceful.”

“Everyone is in need of some form of rescue at times. Just some are more obvious than others.” Star spoke quietly, turning her purple eyes away. “I... I really appreciate you coming to rescue me, Zero. Thank you, I truly mean it. You owed me nothing yet still you came to this ill-fated place to help a mere stranger. For that I owe you.”

“You did heal my wounds and get me out of that strange dimension; I'd say it was a fair trade given you did ask for help first but I delayed since that fiend surprised the memory,” Zero reminded, recalling the voice that put him to sleep. “Besides, it's my duty as a knight, as the Winged Knight of Lacroa, to help all in misfortune. It wasn't that long ago my homeland was lost in a sea of ruin and chaos...”

“My sympathies for what happened to your home… I must admit I saw bits of your memory when my energy was returned.” Star slowly confessed, looking a bit flustered, “I apologize for that intrusion. Telepathy is not a talent of mine; it was merely caused by the shared essense. For any harm inflicted on you because of that burden, I cannot express more regret. I fear your energy was being stolen as well when we became connected or simply your Mana and my Ki were resisting one another.”

“That makes sense. I admit it was a bit... concerning to learn of it but it was for the best. Besides that's over now, but that explains why only I could hear your voice when we were searching for you; it was because of your essence.”

Star simply nodded, her gaze slowly trailing away from Zero to gaze back to the wall where nothing but a sheet of ice met her gaze. “I wish you could have seen this place before the war and now... you must wonder how we can even survive here.”

“Well, you know what state Lacroa was in, so it is not kind of me to think lesser of someone else's stricken home.”

She inclined her head, gazing at Zero. “It is... refreshing to talk like this. A nice change from the others, the pressure... and after being stuck in there...” She trailed off, the not so distant memory of her capture nipping at any relief felt.

“It seems here everyone has abilities that their purpose revolves around; I know not all of them.” Zero inquired, trying to make the conversation less sobering. 

“Everyone would take a while to explain but most only have one element to command or a specific field, like JunMai is a summoner and Ringo's element is flora. Most have names reflecting their gifts, such as JunMai’s relating to her ability to weave spells into a dance to summon various guardian spirits, though she can use specific spells with her _ofuda_ , paper talismans. Ringo can manipulate wood, to care for trees or use in battle. My talents are diverse like Tsukiko and Kasumi, but we have our core gift.”

“Command over multiple elements is astounding. I myself use wind and conjuring through Mana as well as a few others. What is the base for your abilities?” 

“I am termed as a galactic mage due to my command over elements similar to stars. As I told Shute I can use fire, light, ice, as well as minimal teleportation. I can achieve flight as well as achieve minimal gravity manipulation and healing with certain spells. Hence my name Hoshiko: star child.”

“You said before that most mage gundams can heal?” 

“Yes, most are trained in basic forms of healing as long as they can perform them; those who can't simply don't while advanced users are official healers like Kotone and Yuka. There are alternate means like how JunMai can transfer energy through spell tags. I myself can tend to superficial wounds as first aid but nothing more. But now it’s essential to do every bit you can to the best of your ability even if it’s not your forte.” 

“Well, I would say someone with your talents is vital amongst these maidens. You are an important leader, even if you took the role out of necessity rather than want.” Zero gently concluded, looking up at the ice crystals. The distraction was temporary as Star's next words snagged the knight's attention.

“My brother… he would have wanted me to do it if he couldn’t.” 

“Your brother?”

“He died in a freak summoning accident just before the Demon King struck. I barely had time for mourning between the shock of both events. I was coping with grief but the others were suffering as well; I simply took charge to survive.” Star slowly spoke, making her way around raw yet suppressed emotions, “No sense in losing my head over one person only to allow the loss of many. Plenty of others lost loved ones and me adding to that count of the distraught didn't help anyone but the wicked.”

Zero solemnly nodded, “I understand, though still that was family... Nothing can ever replicate the loss of someone close to you. It's a brave, selfless role you have taken.”

“The loss of a family member hits hard but the loss of friends hurts too. When there is a cause and you are needed you have to put personal matters on hold. I never wanted any of it but this was bigger than me; this is bigger than any one person. It was... it's what my brother would have done.”

Zero was silent for a moment, memories of those he lost during Lacroa's invasion surfacing. An ache formed within his Mana Crystal as he saw the faces of his fellow Royal Knights, their dedication and good nature unintentionally haunting him.

“What was his name, if I may inquire?” He turned his teal eyes toward Star who looked lost in her own memories.

“Isamu.” She replied quietly, though a hint of amusement entered her voice, “It means courage... I think you two would have gotten along well....” Star fell silent hurt coloring her voice. “I couldn’t protect him. I failed as a big sister…”

Zero barely caught her words, his audio receptors tuning to their highest. The weight behind the words was greatly felt as he saw the change in Star's posture while she uttered them. Though the gundamess appeared like a fortress before her peers, she was carried a great burden she wished none to see or take upon themselves to suffer as well. It was something that felt familiar.

“I'm sure you did all you could; I however was unable to help my... family.” Zero spoke in a low voice, his gaze shifting toward the nonexistent scenery before him. “The Dark Axis invaded Lacroa and I was sent away against my will to another dimension where I eventually met the SDG. Meanwhile the other Royal Knights... my family, stayed behind and paid the price to buy me time while I found a way back with reinforcements.”

“You succeeded in your mission. You did what you were meant to, what they expected of you.”

“But they died because there was no one left to help them! I am the last of the original Royal Knights! I...” Zero trailed off, the torment that had been eating at him for years starting to emerge for others to see. 

Despite things getting better nothing that could dispel the isolation felt from that dark time in Zero's life, when he unable to aid his brothers in arms and left to protect Lacroa on his own until new Knights were born. No amount of new medical and knight gundams as well as other newborn Lacroa natives could replace those that were lost.

“I had no idea what would befall them in my absence. It was a nightmare I never dreamt until I saw the reality and now it haunts me. I was helpless to stop the slaughter; had I stayed it could have changed. The countless questions that remain from that possible future eat away at me constantly. Much good has happened since but responsibility weighs on me and an emptiness remains; I'm sure had I been more attentive, had I pushed when something was amiss, it could have been different.” 

Thoughts of the stone bird that had been discovered as a prelude to the BaguBagu's unleashment were just some of the haunts Zero experienced despite all petrified life being restored. What seemed like a minor delay at the time had unforeseen consequences that far outweighed the simple warning. 

“Alas feeling guilty and helpless for not knowing what alternate choices and times would have yielded.” Star gently replied, her eyes trained on Zero with a look of familiarity reflecting within. “The what ifs slowly chisel away at you and when you think you've forgiven yourself, you find yourself thinking again about when it all went wrong.”

“Yes! And no one understands. There's sympathy but the empathy... I try to forgive myself, to forget and move on... My apologies I shouldn't be saying such things to awaken your fresh wounds. My friends are supportive and they've had losses as well.”

“Then you are blessed to have such friends to be with you during hard times and even after, Zero. I am sorry you lost many close to you, I'm not going to try to compare our losses but I do understand. It's a constant battle of the question of **why** : why did this happen, why now, why did they die, why did I survive? We beat the question dead until we start hurting ourselves but we can't stop.” 

She sighed, looking upwards. “It's okay to be sad, Zero. We just need balance of knowing when it's okay to stonewall our emotions and when it's okay to express ourselves. In reality being silent only hurts us, breaks us... It's not a weakness.”

“… You’re correct. The others here have lost someone as well?” He inquired, turning the conversation away from himself.

Star nodded slowly, “We're not sure of everyone's fate but we're separated to say the least. There has been no contact with other survivors so we have no idea if we're the only ones left to resist our tyrant. Our planet is small but we’re still scattered; either others are hiding, fighting, captured or had their souls returned to the Core.”

“Then JunMai too... I'm sorry I should not pry into other's affairs by asking another.” Zero started but quickly decided against it, thinking of the spunky if not quirky orange gundamess. “Please disregard my insensitive question.”

A low laugh escaped Star though amusement was far from it. “She would probably tell if you asked, though please do not ask the others unless they mention first; some are just beginning to distract themselves from the ever consuming thoughts of their loved ones' wellbeing. But yes, JunMai is suffered too: her fiancé was killed.” 

Immediately Zero felt his Mana Crystal drop. Thoughts went to GunEagle's careless flirtations toward her and the other gundamesses. Silently the knight wanted to crawl into a hole out of shame of the group's ignorance of the plight even if it was not their fault for not knowing. 

“My brother.” Star continued, turning sorrowful eyes toward Zero. “JunMai, my best friend and now second in command was suppose to be my sister-in-law. Funny isn't it how normal life can seem before you're swept up in a war? Now it's just the two of us.”

Zero was unsure how to respond at the unexpected revelation. JunMai and Star's connection made sense, even more so now that he knew the loss they shared; the devastation both felt in losing the same being united them. JunMai's dedication to save Star was indeed beyond respect and duty: they were an oath-sworn family.

“I was a newcomer amongst the Knights.” He confessed after a minute, solemnity seizing the atmosphere again. “They were my seniors yet they treated me like an old friend. I respected them, as I was a knight fresh from a squire in comparison. Yet they trusted me with an important mission. Then a prophecy fell to me and suddenly I was torn away from the friends and family I had come to know. I feel like I abandoned them even though I was forcefully sent away. Lacroa was saved but that family was lost…” 

The Winged Knight clenched a fist. “It was all spoiled by the betrayal of someone I thought I knew, someone I called my brother in arms by the name of Deed. My remnant of the Royal Knights is what they taught me and the mission they left me: serve and protect the royal family, be the Princess's knight and mentor the new generation of gundams. In truth I am a member of the Gundam Force sworn to help all in need, but Lacroa is the first thing that comes to my mind.”

“Any loss hurts, lessening to an ache over time but a betrayal is a sting like an old wound that never properly healed. No matter if intentional or accidental, the loss of a relationship is a stab through one's core. You are never as prepared as you think you are for such a blow.” Star spoke in a level voice, emotion seeming to be guarded against. “Concerns about one's home shall always be near, it is not selfish.”

“I'm sorry, I should be helping you find peace not trouble.” Zero apologized, his wallowing ensnaring his company as well. Misery truly loved company but if Ringo learned he had worsened Star's spirits he bet the next punch would be less friendly and aimed elsewhere. “You speak wisdom. It's true there is much pain and regrets but there is hope as well. I swore to fulfill the duties my fellow knights could not and here I am doing more besides just protecting the Princess and Lacroa; I now help all sorts of beings and worlds.”

“As strange as it may seem, I feel some peace talking about all this.” Star confessed tilting her head, blue ribbons connected to her helmet swaying. “The pain and disgust is still there but there is a relief having a conversation like this; no worries about bottling it up until I might explode or telling it to someone who will be crushed by the weight. The burden remains, but it has lessened even just a bit. Thank you.”

“In all honesty, I feel better as well. It is something that has been weighing on me but I cannot bring myself to express it to others at length. They simply can't understand because they have no experience or it’s because they do relate I do not want to bring it up, such as to Princess Rele. It feels wrong, almost like comparing who got the deeper wound from the same battle, not when they have their own ghosts to chase.” The Winged Knight admitted, part of him feeling selfish and the other proud at keeping his inner demons from worrying his friends.

“True, though we should not deny ourselves of healing.” Star agreed, placing a hand over her SoulCore. “Time heals or it can tear things apart if left completely unattended; it's a hard balance to maintain.” 

“I couldn't agree more.” Zero sighed.

“Even though the past cannot be changed and what ifs are simply theoretical and emotionally driven... What do you think you would have done if it all could have ended sooner?” Star inquired after a few minutes. “Say you knew beforehand of future events or who was the cause of the impending trouble and you could stop them? Could you bring yourself to do no matter what despite your bond?”

“That is a hard question.” Zero replied after some thought, his processors whirling as mixed emotions swept through him. “As an enforcer of justice I would be prompted to act, but my emotions would entangle me as well. Even when I learned of Deed's deception I couldn't believe it, but hearing his disregard for all we stood for enraged me. It was because of his betrayal I was able to act without regret as he showed no remorse and no wish for redemption; I live by the code of a knight and to violate that, dare maliciously harm others, is unforgivable. Even the Princess said Deed chose his path so killing him doesn't bother me; it's thoughts of what I could have done to prevent him.” 

“Righteous anger is a powerful weapon if used right.” Star comforted. 

“Could I have stopped the betrayal before it occurred I would still be enraged by the disregard of chivalry but there wouldn't be the sting from losing my friends, my family; it was because of their demise and Deed's treachery I was able to act. Even now I cannot forgive him, no matter how misled he was. Still it's difficult to even consider that scenario; having a connection can either fuel or hinder in a decision.”

“You did what you had to for the good of all despite your bond. I'm sorry I asked something so difficult. I'm not sure what I would do either... I thought about the Demon King being defeated when he first appeared... so much could have been spared if we had acted sooner... Now the next opportunity may be the last chance to stop him.” Star’s gaze shifted, gaining a far away look. “This is likely going to be our last stand, but I'm not certain if I am ready. However my world is suffering and there will be nothing left if this continues any longer. If we delay more bonds, lives and even this world may be lost.”

Faint sounds of their companions traveled down the tunnel. Wind howled from outside, scratching its invisible claws against the layers of ice that sheltered the survivors below. After a minute of silence Zero lifted his hand, snapping his fingers lightly. A blue glow formed as a flower all too familiar appeared hovering before him, gently taking it.

“This is a princess rose.” He softly spoke, holding up the blue violet flower that was a few shades darker than his armor. “They represent Lacroa's beauty and are a testament of how fragile life is and how beautiful it can be, but it can be fleeting or long depending on how you treat it.” 

“What a lovely flower… I haven’t seen fauna except Ringo’s tree for months. You almost begin to forget what things looked like before the devastation.” 

“When I was expelled from Lacroa these were all I had to remind me of my beloved home. My world was decimated but came back to life and remnants exist. I believe Kendra will endure and thrive better than ever once this is over; I have hope.” He extended the rose toward Star who after a moment took it.

“At this point hope is all we can rely on that it all will turn out.” Star turned the rose to admire it. “That and those we call allies, whatever shape or form they be. We can only believe in success and try to fulfill the will of others who can't be with us. The _Kibou Hoshi_ does exist; all that has happened so far proves that hope is real and rightful to hold onto. We can't give up, we have to keep fighting.”

“Without hope we cannot have determination to endure and continue; should we only function on vengeance it can poison one in various ways. But we both have a new family now in spirte of our pain.” Zero nodded, “Even if it's not what we expected nor can replace what we once had, it's here now; we all need each other. Past or present, they will lend us strength to win this fight. Never forget but never give up for what's just.” 

“Hoshiko, we're ready when you are.” Ringo's voice called down as faint footsteps crunching against the icy snow reached the two gundam's receptors but stopped not far from the entrance. “Also JunMai is well enough to join us.”

“Duty calls.” Star lightly remarked, her hand tightening around the princess rose that Zero had gifted her. She rose, all fatigue and worry seeming to drop from her as if literally stepping back into her role as leader. Her purple eyes reflected determination though when she glanced at Zero there was tenderness within.

“Coming, kishi-dono?” She asked in a slightly teasing tone.

Zero rose from his seat to sweep into a formal bow on one knee, arm crossed over his chest. “Of course, Lady Star.” He replied in full sincerity as he performed a traditional knight pledge. “I will aid you in all ways I can to drive this evil from this land and reclaim your home. As a knight, and I dare say friend, no matter the struggle I won't let hope die. I give you my support.”

Star seemed surprised at the sudden formality but nodded, gesturing to come as she made her way out of the room, her vulnerable self tucked away once more. The two made their way up, the light from the room above reaching out as they neared it. 

“Zero.” He paused as Star said his name, turning to look at him one more time as she lingered before the entrance. “ _Arigato._ Thank you.”

“Mana, lend your strength... to all of us.” Zero prayed in a low tone as the two returned amongst their companions, leaving hesitations and regrets below where none could see as the eve of battle now hung in the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~Visual Ref:  
> [Kendrian Gundams (Group 1)](https://www.deviantart.com/cinnamonroe/art/SDGF-Kendrian-Gundams-1-749689721)
> 
> -  
> Translations:
> 
> chotto matte // wait a minute  
> okaerinasai // welcome back  
> tadaima // I'm back/I'm home  
> kishi-dono // Sir/Lord Knight


	9. Plan of Action

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To formulate a plan to infiltrate the Ice Fortress and take down the Demon King the heroes hold a meeting. To better understand their enemy they must know the history of the tyrant which surprisingly connects to everyone's worlds... but will these answers be enough to save the universe?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brand new chapter! Time to explore some lore and shed light on a few things, including giving some logic to a few of the show's plotholes. I got to do some major worldbuilding for this chapter which hopefully can be read as believably canon.
> 
> You can read the PDF version of this [here](https://www.deviantart.com/cinnamonroe/art/Kibou-Hoshi-Chapter-9-761409017)

“Now that everyone is here we can begin the meeting.” Ringo announced, gesturing to the now present Zero and Star. JunMai stood with the others though she leaned against Ai for support as she regained her strength, the indigo gundamess giving her friend an understanding pat. 

Star stepped toward where her fellow Kendrians stood around the makeshift war table that now took up the main room; Miyuki had been indispensable, even creating some props including little ice figures of everyone and the Ice Fortress. “Thank you for your patience and undivided attention. To begin I will give the opening statement to Captain.” Skimming the room Star gave a nod to Captain who then took the lead. 

“First, based on our shared information: It's been two months since the Demon King began his reign of terror here on Kendra. Miss Star, Hoshiko, made contact with Zero within the first week of her capture; after some delay we rescued Miss Star during the third week of her captivity. At present the enemy's actions are at best assumptions. It is unknown how much time we have until the enemy unleashes his attack on any world, including on our allies here.” 

“You forgot that we were botnapped and brainwashed for probably a week!” Zapper snapped, not willing to let such atrocity be swept under the rug. 

“Yes, Zapper. We can presume that occurred just before we traveled here given our skirmish in Neotopia. To better establish our timeline I would need information from Genkimaru as to when you all disappeared from Ark.” 

“Knowing the brat he probably didn't notice until now only because he realized we weren't around to be bossed and fetch whatever he desired.” Grappler griped, rolling his eye. “It would be stupid to ask, even if you could contact him.” 

“We know that the Demon King wants this world for himself and plausibly others. He has possibly captured most of the Kendrian gundams, presumably to keep them out of his way or force them to be his army as any other allies to him are unknown; his methods are uncertain as we lack data from encounters. We can further presume that he seeks to rule all the known dimensions.” Captain ignored Grappler. 

“Well not to be obvious for a duh moment but...” GunEagle interjected, “It's all in his name: Demon **King**. Kings can only be that if they have something to rule!” 

“Can't villains get more original ideas besides trying to invade other dimensions?” Bakunetsumaru complained, counting on his hand how many of his enemies had desired use of portals with multi-world conquest on their mind. “In Ark it's conquer your neighbor's land to unite it together under one ruler and that's it; your enemy is your fellow countrymen. It's as plain and simple as that.” 

“Not giving your homeland much points there.” GunEagle chuckled at the musha's more or less backhanded compliment. 

“Zero is the only one of the SDG who encountered Demon King and that’s when he somehow forced Zero into forgetting when he was all the way over in Neotopia.” Shute cut in before Bakunetsumaru could shoot back an angry retort. “But we know he wants energy for something; he captured Star and was draining her with that strange device.” 

“Dimensional portals.” Star replied firmly, her hand clenching. “He wanted me to direct his portals while using that energy syphoner. It seems out of all the captives only I had energy to spare and the ability to teleport, able to guide where I want to go; everyone else must have proved unsuccessful. He found it... compatible with his own power and sought to drain my power along with the others in captivity.” 

“So he needs the energy to fuel his portals, but why drain everyone to unconsciousness if he wants an army?” Shute pondered, as it seemed counterproductive. 

“It makes us easily influenced by the Planet's Core which he has corrupted in its weakened state, manipulating it to his will. When he has enough energy he will try to twist the minds of those weakened to become his unyielding servants and raise his army. A shell is just something waiting to be filled and directed. He wants puppets.” 

“Hoshiko and I broke in weeks ago to free the captives. We hoped our small number would go undetected. When we found them some were already in stasis. Those awake were barely able to explain they'd been drained, his plans of amassing an army and dimensional conquest before we were ambushed.” JunMai broke in, her eyes full of dismay. “We fought, trying to free as many we could but were captured. The others caused a distraction and I got away though not unscathed. It took me weeks to mend before I could attempt a rescue to make up for the failed mission.” 

“We didn't want her to go alone but she slipped out, leaving the tracker talisman behind. That's why we couldn't just up and leave, we believed she'd come back.” Ringo interjected, noticing the questioning looks of the SDG and their robot comrades. Star looked surprised though not quite startled, probably expecting as such from JunMai. 

“I told you I could do it by myself! If any more of us got captured we’d be in worse trouble! We have no idea how many other survivors are out there and they’re no help without communication!” JunMai waved her hand as she looked at everyone, “We can't twiddle our thumbs anymore, he means to break us and enslave us at any cost!” 

“Well, thankfully I, I mean, **we >** were there or else who knows what would have happened with that swam of opponents. Though you really did kick some serious can back there, including your giant tweety bird.” GunEagle complimented though the orange gundamess looked insulted yet a tad pleased at the genuine praise attempt. 

“I think it's safe to say we equally helped one another, and it turned out fine. No one else was captured.” Shute quickly soothed while Bakunetsumaru gave GunEagle a disapproving look and Zero shook his head in exasperation. 

“Priority is to stop the Demon King and rescue the captives. Dismantling his means of dimensional transportation is key to halt any advancement in his plan and secure the safety of other worlds. If we can confiscate the device without serious damage we can use it for our advantage.” Captain encapsulated as data was compiled, forming plausible strategies. “At present there is a 68.95% chance it is currently out of order without someone directing it, though its may still be active with all the stolen energy, just unstable. This hypothesis is uncertain without confirming the device’s full functions.” 

“Too bad we didn't trash it when we had a chance. Would have saved some time.” Grappler pointed out though the idea had escaped him as well before. “Then again we were preoccupied with fighting for our lives.” 

“Dah, could have made a big boom. Need weapons for mission but me for it.” Dom seemed to actually give the scenario some thought. 

“If you steal the orb attached to the device he will be thwarted. I’m not sure where he obtained it but he uses that to create the portals. The syphoner simply fed my energy to the orb and while I directed the portals. He called it ‘the Eye,’” Star explained. 

“We need to understand more about the Demon King first or else we'll be caught unprepared; the more we understand the better we can form a plan of attack that is foolproof. He has some kind of mind control and apparent power over illusions that we must be wary of.” Zero pointed out, not willing to be manipulated once more. 

“We need to know his weakness.” Bakunetsumaru added, feeling much better than he had since arriving on Kendra, his own feeling of weakness now reduced to ash. “The mage gundams were able to hold off the Dark Axis but the Demon King caught them off guard and has had them on the post since. He's a true fiend!” 

“The ropes.” Shute corrected the idiom, though their Kendrian allies seemed to get the gist. 

“For better understanding of what we are facing, who our enemy is, you offworlders must know of Kendra's creation and the legend _Nanash_ , which means Nameless or No Name in your language.” Chieko stepped forward, the purple and gold gundamess holding open palms out as a gesture of imploring. “You may dismiss it as mere myth but I assure you it is very real. For us it is a tale we grew up with and believe, though I learned more about it from our historical archives.” 

“Yay, story time.” Dom looked pleased, plopping down with a thud as the Zakos ushered toward him, forming a collective of eager listeners. “Then we can make booms.” 

“I look forward to obtaining more data to ensure an efficient strategy and expand my database on Kendra.” Captain complied with a nod, “Please continue, Miss Chieko.” 

“Being time is of the essence I will summarize the best I can: In the beginning there were gods, all benevolent beings. These gods were siblings, whether by oath or actual relation it did not matter. Together they decided to each make worlds, made to each’s own preference and then shown off in part friendly competition. They were unanimous and poured much care into their newly formed worlds. 

“A goddess who was one of the last to create her first world was inspired by her closest sibling; she then formed the world, filling it with her own creations and naming it Kendra. This is our patron god, mother of all life on Kendra and keeper of its sacred waters: the sacred Mother Ami.” 

“Ah-me?” Grappler scoffed, looking about to say more but a threatening gesture in regards to his mouth from Zero shut him up for the moment. 

“However as all the worlds were created and displayed for all to see one god was moved by disappointment, frustration and then anger. This god felt he had created his world too quickly, that his siblings had taken ideas from him and pushed beyond imagination as to what could exist. 

“He grew jealous as he felt he could make no more worlds without copying what had already been done; his pride did not allow him to take inspiration as Ami-god had but instead resent the other's creations. He felt he had been tricked, made a fool for being the first to create, resulting in what seemed like drab creations in comparison while his siblings seemed to use minimal effort to create their vibrant and diverse worlds. 

“The glory of his siblings' thriving worlds drove what he felt deeper until hatred was born, madness taking hold of him. Disappointed in his own world he destroyed much of it including most of his creations, leaving only a few chosen 'superior' beings.” 

“This guy killed his own creations because of a superiority complex!?” GunEagle gawked, earning a few looks for interrupting though others looked just as disturbed. 

“His heart grew darker as time went on. As he saw the others leave their worlds unattended to let creations flourish without divine interference, turn their attention on newer worlds or simply grow lax as the worlds' leaders, an obsession was born: the notion he could rule the worlds better than their creators—for if he could not create more supremely then he could rule far better. Convinced, he decided he would seize the worlds and be revered as their god, taking his siblings' places for they did not deserve it.” 

“Sounds like this guy had a lot of entitlement issues.” Zapper glanced at Grappler who sneered back, 

“I can respect someone who sees what they want and takes it.” 

“Deluded by his self-righteousness,” Chieko continued loudly, “He took his surviving creations spared from his 'cleansing', targeting the closest worlds first. A battle was waged with the inhabitants, their creators soon arriving to lend aid. Other sibling gods joined the fight when some of their worlds fell under attack while others feared pacifism would render their own worlds to rubble. Some gods drew up champions, their chosen, who would fight for their world and creator; thus the _Kibou Hoshi_ were born. 

“Eventually the battle came to a close, the aggressor's forces destroyed and scattered but some worlds were left scarred, their landscapes marred by the war. Defeated, the god refused to show remorse causing his siblings to strip him of his powers, name and then body, which was destroyed. Out of what little remaining love, rather than destroy his existence for his atrocities the gods cast him into an isolated realm, a dimension cut off from all other creation where he would be alive but alone for eternity to reflection his actions; there his soul, his spirit existed. 

“As a result of the war Ami-god made the waters rise on Kendra, granting her gifted children, us mage gundams, the ability to survive underwater so to protect them from any enemies that dared come from off world. Dimensional barriers were created between various worlds to prevent such a disaster from happening again. 

“Gigantic guardian beings of old, who were the First Ones on all planets, and some who fought against the Nameless God, were also laid to rest in eternal slumber; their presence is still seen today such as giant footprints or divisions in mountains. One of such gave its core to Ami-god, mother of us all, which she used to create what we know as the Planet's Core though scholars argue part if it is Mother Ami's own soul, if not entirely, disregarding the First One's Sacrifice myth. 

“With the divine blessing we were empowered and protected by our internal guardian, our pseudo-creator, as it used the whole planet as a weapon against our enemies. However we never expected an attack so soon after enduring such a fierce war; the nameless god took advantage and breeched the dimensional boundary and came to Kendra. How he did I cannot say for certain though it’s possible the boundary weakened because of the Dark Axis’s invasion.” 

“Sure, just blame it all on the Dark Axis; not that I care, I'm not affiliated with them anymore. I cut ties with losers.” Zapper looked vexed every time his former allies were mentioned. 

“But if he lost his body, does that mean we're dealing with a spirit?” Shute puzzled, not sure how they could battle something untangle. “How was he able to breech the dimension if it was cut off from all others?” 

“Hey now, the G in 'SDG' stands for 'Ghostbusters'! It'll be no problem!” GunEagle reassured, confidence in his abilities more than making up for the others. 

“Dah, who you gonna call?” Dom chimed in, “Me make them go boom!” all while the Zakos made wailing noises of protest that sounded slightly musical. 

“S-s-spirit? G-g-host!?” Bakunetsumaru stuttered, all bravery he'd felt up to that moment suddenly gone. “I m-m-mean that's n-nothing. I ain't afraid of no g-ghost.” 

“Never mind a spirit, we're essentially dealing with a god.” Zero felt lost, knowing the powers the superior spirits on Lacroa possessed, but unable to imagine what a supreme being of creation could unleash. He glanced at Star but the gundamess was focused on the others, looking grim. 

“A god whose power was taken then banished to an isolated dimension for at least a millennia. Without his god powers he is like an unholy creature clinging to remnants of what once was true. That’s why he’s the Demon King: he's the leader of all his wicked kind, and demands to be treated as such.” Ringo reminded, the red gundamess sounding disgusted as well as looking enraged. “He will hurt anyone who stands in his way.” 

“Even better! I've done plenty of simulations about taking up a quest to slay a god! A fallen god should be way easy though I'd wipe the floor with them no matter what, coz I'm awesome.” GunEagle exclaimed looking pumped while Shute hesitated to remind him that a recreational video game created by Chief Kao Lyn and Bellwood called “God Slayer” wasn't the same thing. 

“He is unlike the spirits we summon. What we call 'spirits' merely refers to beings of another plane, not without bodies like a soul; we simply beckon the souls of the beings we create pacts with, bringing with them their physical form to our realm. The gods sealed away his soul, a visible essence and that's what plagues us now as it is no longer locked away.” JunMai explained as the SDG and the Axians had seen summoning. 

“Much like how we have tangible and non-physical beings that we call spirits in Lacroa, like the Mmns in contrast to Fenn.” Zero mused, earning interested glances from a few of the Kendrians. 

“Since escaping his prison he’s gained a new physical form. This makes him mortal though question is how to contain his spirit as we have no idea if should his vessel perish that would be the end; we need to destroy or seal his soul once more. He is not as strong as he would be originally but he is still formidable, clever and with some power.” Star informed, her voice calm, “Either he retained some abilities or some how regained them as he also possesses some dimensional powers, along with those already noted.” 

“Illusions would explain the appearance of the Dark Axis weapons in Neotopia including ones previously destroyed yet there being no evidence of their existence. Dimensional capability, thanks to that device, explains how Zapper and the others got to Neotopia and how they obtained their weapons, all while being mind controlled.” Captain concluded, adding this info to his data report as well. 

“They were certainly not from here, we destroyed all Dark Axis weapons; unless they were stashed wherever they were taken from.” Ringo gestured toward the Axians. 

“Dah, weapons. Me miss them.” Dom sadly looked at his hands as if the objects of his affection would suddenly reappear. 

“His powers are based on deceit. He'll try to sway you by preying on your fears. Who knows what falsehoods he'll say or show. I'm still not certain if the things he said and showed me were real or not. Being he is a former god he could very well manipulate illusions into solid mass for a time if he chooses.” Star placed a hand to her head, pain in her eyes though anger smoldered within. “It’s all a manipulation game to him.” 

“How are we supposed to defeat someone like that, even if he possesses a physical form? Taking a former god down would probably still be just as hard as an actual god, especially if he can fight on a mental battlefield; General Zeong was bad enough when he got into my head. If only I could think of an invention to take down a god let alone have the right supplies.” Shute worried, his hands in his pockets as his mind went to what tools he had brought in his backpack. Due to the rushed mission things had been left in Neotopia but if they could establish contact they all could resupply... 

“The first _Kibou Hoshi_ and their allies were able to stop him before when he a god. Together they ceased his ambitions and banished him, until now. There has to be a way to do it again given he is without his divine form or complete power.” Zero considered, the knight trying to maintain hope while formulating a sound solution. 

“Yeah, but they had gods on their side and even that was apparently a struggle. I don't suppose your god Ami is around to help since she didn't aid you in the Dark Axis invasion attempt or in these months against the Demon King. Not that I really know much about divine intervention and its rules.” Bakunetsumaru quickly added, waving his hands dismissively, hoping he had not offended the great being or her spirit associates should any be listening. 

“Maybe she's too busy getting her nails done.” Grappler sarcastically replied, flexing his clawed hand in emphasis. Unexpectedly Dom gave a rather heavy handed pat on his head, saying in as soothing a voice the big robot possessed, 

“Dah, we get you nail appointment later. No worry. Sharpen them like knives.” 

“Mother Ami has been known to grace us with her presence at times, though for as long as anyone can remember she hasn’t been seen recently; she left to care for other worlds in need. That is why we have the Planet's Core as our protector and creator of life, a proxy for Ami-god; our belief is that the Core itself is part of Mother Ami even if it was originally the life source of another being that she repurposed.” Chieko explained as Miyuki demonstrated with her ice powers the sculpture of an orb having part of it taken out and put together with another, illustrating what was the Planet's Core. 

“So Mom went out to get milk and never returned, huh? Great.” Zapper folded his arms, hardly reassured though just about fell over when Dom gave him a rather hard pat as well as if to comfort. 

“There is another way, or rather three chances to aid us. United we should be able to take the fiendish despot down. However further aid will ensure higher success.” Ringo interjected, earning a nod from Chieko. 

“Correct. We need Mother Ami's regalia, three sacred items that she used in the battle against the Demon King and later gifted for the _Kibou Hosh_ i to use in times of great need when she left Kendra. These items were a sword, a mirror and a jewel that when united were said to have great power. Should we have just one of these items it could weaken the Demon King considerably being he is of lesser power than his original divine self.” Chieko held up three fingers as she listed each object, Miyuki providing visual aid in making ice versions appear. 

“Okay, so the sword I get but what's so special about a mirror and a jewel? Are we going to bling the enemy to surrender? Though I am brilliance itself, able to blind spectators.” GunEagle looked rather caught up in a daydream as he struck a heroic pose. 

“I don't know if you should be bragging about that.” Bakunetsumaru rolled his eyes. 

Captain was busy logging all that had been said thus. “Being they belong to a deity, a supernatural force, my logical assumption is that they possess some magical ability of their own, correct?” 

Chieko nodded, waving to the mini ice versions. “You are correct. These three items have been blessed with unearthly powers so they go beyond their otherwise normal functions. The sword can control the wind and inflict damage on evil and unearthly beings; the mirror reveals what is hidden by revealing truth of all natures and is said to even capture a soul inside it; and finally the jewel protects its wearer and expels evil.” 

“Well this is all swell and all, but I’m going to take a wild guess you don’t have them.” Grappler cut in, having gotten away from Dom and his attempts at consoling. 

“You would be correct in that assumption.” Star confirmed, displeased at the sarcasm though frustration was obvious in not only her posture but others’ as well. 

“Why didn't you obtain the regalia before you attempted the first rescue?” Shute asked, raising his hand to get attention. 

“We had no idea where they could be. Hoshiko and I would have searched but our priority was rescue. To tell the truth, we hadn't given the sacred relics much thought let alone considered using them. They are objects of lore.” JunMai confessed, looking embarrassed at the disregard for the mythology. “Had I time to look when I was rescuing her, I would have checked within the Fortress but with the situation urgent I forgot.” 

“I had a vision to find the three relics only a week ago, proving their existence. Where we can find them however is uncertain.” Chieko quickly came to defend. “I was reading our historical archives before this calamity befell Kendra. At the time I didn’t find the last mention of the weapons save their gifting by great Ami; their locations are anyone's guess unless I obtain the rest of the archives.” 

“Wonderful.” Grappler dryly replied, earning him some pointed looks. 

“By their written descriptions I believe they could easily be mistaken as ordinary items if not kept in a designated place; so much got destroyed and misplaced during the invasion and the tyrant's reign that if they had been in a shrine they surely have been moved. Hiding them in the citadel, the Ice Fortress, seems most logical, though unfortunate as that's where the enemy made his domain.” 

“We’re tight on time and now suddenly we're going to have to have a treasure hunt?” Zapper s scoffed in disbelief. “One minute you gundams are all about the world is doomed and now we're talking about believing myths!” 

“It's our only option for backup if our united forces cannot take down the Demon King. We are short on time, which is why we'll have to split up to search while the main force goes to face him, searching along the way as well as liberating any prisoners if given the chance. We need to maximize our success and increase our numbers. We can't spare anymore chances or time. We must make haste, time for deliberation is limited.” Star maintained a controlled tone though urgency chipped away at her composure. 

“I agree we should maximize our chances but be smart and play it safe. I should like to try again to establish a connection to Neotopia since it failed when I tried before the meeting. If I can make contact there is a 78.4% chance we can obtain backup if the DTD is up and running.” Captain looked around to gauge reactions. 

“So worse comes to worse, we find just one of these regaolis and roll with it. Find all three and our chances for success are tripled; the more the merrier. Find none and we're back to where we started: going to battle without them.” GunEagle summarized matter of factly. “Either way, not a problem when you've got me, your secret weapon.” 

“The **regalia** are indeed our current best chance for an advantage. However if they cannot be located in time we’ll make do and prevail like always.” Zero corrected with a hopeful note at the end, trying to lighten the mood as confidence seemed to be wavering once more. “What’s important now is we unite our powers to take down this tyrant.” 

“Yeah, we've worked with worse, no problem! Three is ideal and we'll find all three, I just know it with all of us working together!” Shute added, confidence radiating off of him as he looked at all those around him. “We came here to help you and we will! The Gundam Force always prevails!” 

“Talk about looking for a needle in a haystack.” Grappler grumbled, unable to fathom the complete idiocy that came with optimism. 

“GunEagle, I will need your assistance in creating an origin point with your wave amplifier so I can send the communication signal.” 

“Sure thing, Cap! But you remember how that turned out last time. No gas, no go. Plus we have a magical blizzard above us.” 

“I may be able to help since my energy has been restored,” Star offered. “It will be a long shot due to the dimensional divide, but your device may give me enough to focus on to help it reach across space. Teleportation is out of the question, but simply sending a wavelength might be doable. If we find a strong stream of magic nearly I can use that, but it will be a risk given the state of the Planet's Core.” 

“That would be much appreciated, Miss Star. If you could I would like to begin preparations immediately and try to establish contact in ten minutes.” 

“Ringo and I will begin on the strategy plan while the others start the mission preparations.” JunMai informed, standing on her own despite the others hovering around her. “When you are ready we can go over the details. And here take this; it's a spell tag that can detect traces of magic. We might be near a pocket of magic we can tap into.” 

“Thanks. We'll leave it to you in the meantime.” Captain nodded as Star took the talisman from JunMai. Together with GunEagle the two of them began following the paper, seeing if and where it glowed brightest in the underground shelter. 

“We should start thinking of some ideas of how to combat the Demon King's abilities, especially since we’re not sure of the extent of his mind control powers. We'd be in trouble if he can control organic lifeforms as well.” Shute turned toward his remaining companions of the Force and their begrudging robotic allies. “We're sunk if anyone of you gets under his influence when we confront him; if he can affect organics he might make me work on his technology or be his shield. Maybe some form of headwear would block his influence if it's telepathic...” 

“I swear if you suggest tinfoil hats I will kill myself.” Grappler threatened, glaring at the human. 

“You'd be doing us a favor.” Zapper dismissed his salty companion though the idea was a bit idiotic in his mind, but not completely off his options list. “I don't want to be mind jacked again!” 

“Me no like being puppet. Me own bot.” 

“I think just about everyone feels the same.” Shute agreed, glancing at Dom who looked rather haunted despite the lack of facial features. The Zako Soldiers were obviously more disturbed, trembling and muttering something about “body snatchers” and asking if anyone was a “Kendrian candidate.” 

“Perhaps I can try engraving some spells into a few tags to help reduce the effects of mind control. If I am successful JunMai can activate them at your time of need.” Chieko suggested, gesturing to a room that looked like a small workshop and study. “My knowledge should be enough to create at least a temporary fix. Being you were all brainwashed by him for some time perhaps I can glean something to help avoid a repeat. One can only pray to the Planet's Core and Mother Ami to grant me a vision of wisdom.” 

“Break out the incense and prayer beads, boys! We're going full out 'appeal to the may-exist-gods mode!'” Zapper commanded, pumping a fist that inspired the Zako soldiers to do the same. “Anything to avoid our heads being scrambled again!” 

“Dah! Me want lots no-brain-snatching stickers!” 

“I'll go grab my backpack to see what I have to work with!” Shute scurried off to gather supplies. 

“I'm not lifting a finger. You idiots go ahead and play around.” Grappler folded his arms to steel his resolve. The others ignored him, following after Chieko, leaving the blue robot to shout at their backs, “I'll teach that so called ghost spirit jerk a thing or two without your mumbo jumbo!” 

“Ah, he's not a ghost though... right?” Bakunetsumaru anxiously asked, thankfully out of earshot of the grumpy robot. The samurai tried his best hide his fear but his dilated pupils and quavering voice did little to help, along with his subtle shaking. 

“Strange you react so strongly to the mere mention of those of another plane of existence; do you not have spirits from where you hail? I sense great distress.” Sakura inquired, drawing closer to him while motioning at Sango and Yuka to come over. 

“N-no. Just ghost stories since on Ark they're totally not r-r-real. Mere yokai tales.” He let out a nervous laugh. “Not like I ever saw anything suspiciously s-s-supernatural when I was a kid. Perfectly normal umbrella, yep.” 

“Hm, we namely have organic based spirits, but I suppose there could be ones that look like ordinary inanimate objects since we have elementals like rock and wood. It’s reasonable since all dimensions are essentially related due to their creation by the sibling gods, though some are more directly linked; some spirits likely do exist to some extent in your homeland, just not as prominent as ours and perhaps even invisible.” 

“Please don't tell me that.” Bakunetsumaru nervously begged, trying to retain his warrior's composure. “Lacroa can have them all.” 

“Maybe they **are** hiding in plain sight! Perhaps they only appear before true believers! Or they only come after naughty gundams who don't fear and respect them! Do you respect them, sir samurai? When was the last time you paid tribute to them? A curse is sure to befall-” The yellow gundamess interjected, eyes sparkling. 

“Sango, you're supposed to help **relieve** stress not cause it. It doesn't count if you stir it up in the first place.” Yuka scolded, swatting her in a playful yet meaningful manner. “Don't mind her, it's all speculation. There are many things we do not know or understand in the wide universe but we shouldn't let fear stop us. If you need any help calming down, feel free to come to the Healing Room.” 

Bakunetsumaru nodded numbly while Sango looked annoyed, perhaps pouting. 

“For now take this.” The lilac gundamess reached out a hand, revealing a small flat rectangle shaped bag with a floral pattern that Bakunetsumaru dared to take after a moment. “It's a charm to help you relax and restore some energy. Keep it on your person and the negative energies shouldn't drain you as much.” 

As the samurai clutched the small soft bag he caught a faint smell of something floral, perhaps some Kendrian plant. As more of the scent reached him a wave of calmness seem to gently come over him from his head to his feet; any thought about the supernatural seemed frivolous if not gone all together. 

“Wow, thanks.” He uttered, speechless at this sudden calm that even meditation took some time to evoke. He stared at the pouch for a few more moments before giving a polite bow. “Your gift is greatly appreciated.” 

“Just doing my duty with aromatherapy. If any of your friends have similar problems send them to the Healing Room. I have a few charms I can spare.” Yuka waved, hooking Sango's arm and dragging her off before the other could say something more to aggravate the situation by agitating the musha further. 

“I sense you are more at ease now.” Sakura observed, tilting her head as she gave him a look over. Her brown eyes were kind but obviously proud of the change. 

“Yes, I am. Thank you.” 

“I am glad. We all must do our part to help one another, especially those who can directly oppose the one who wishes us harm. Should you or your friends need counsel, I am at your service. Let me know.” The opaque pink gundamess gave a polite bow before excusing herself. Bakunetsumaru could see her gravitating toward one gundamess, the one whose twin was said to be missing. 

“Now if only my fire powers were back to normal soon and I had the Bakushin armor.” He sighed, staring down at the charm in his hand. He fastened it onto one of his sword holsters, tying the string with an expert knot so there was no chance in losing it. “I guess it's just going to take some more time until I can feel more like myself... Maybe I should check on Hotaru since she did share some of her fire element with me.” 

While he contemplated contact with Neotopia was being attempted again. 

“This is Captain Gundam contacting Neotopia Ground Base, over. Come in.” 

“Maybe we just need to stick an arm out here, a leg here, tilt a head this way, and then it'll work! Being we don't have a wire coat-hanger.” GunEagle suggested from his side, forming one point of the triangle that was compiled of him, Captain and Star. The rookie was doing a rather odd balancing act, attempting to gain a connection to their homeworld. “Pretty neat don't you think? Smart, right?” 

“Not sure if that's the word I'd use.” Star murmured, watching the younger gundam try to bounce a signal back to Captain's comlink. She looked down at the glowing spell tag in her hand. She closed her eyes for a moment, seemingly meditating, “This is the strongest magical point in the campsite, easiest for me to gather magic and hopefully strong enough to power a dimensional portal for just waves, enough for sound or even light to create a video. If it's not good enough we'll have to find another magical hotspot but we could be wandering for a while looking.” 

“I deduce that a rather harsh storm is above us, hampering communications by 68.83% on top of the dimensional divide and probable interference from the Planet's Core; I estimate our success rate for contact is less than 15.65% at this point.” 

“I'll adjust the magic's focus, maybe I wasn't concentrating on the right wavelength.” Star began waving her fingers, muttering a spell as her fingertips glowed. 

“Any luck?” Zero inquired as he hovered over, having finished talking with a few of the gundamesses, getting acquainted and trying to glean more information on Kendra as a whole. The knight looked from the concentrating gundamess to the awkwardly posed aerial gundam to the thoughtful military gundam. 

“Not yet. Miss Star is attempting to pull magic to this spot and direct it towards me by opening an 'unseen' portal while GunEagle uses his receptor to ping his signal strength to me so I can send and receive.” 

“Hey! Hey! I think we got a signal!” GunEagle crowed, waving a hand at the others to get their attention. He gestured to his helmet, “I'm picking up some sounds and I swear it's not radio tunes! Third time is the charm, I tell you!” 

“I'm sensing something, Captain. Try now, while I can hold it.” Star added as her hand slightly quivered, still glowing. “The Planet's Core is fighting me.” 

“Kendra Team to Neotopia SDG base, come in. This is Captain Gundam of Neotopia contacting Ground Base. Do you read me?” 

Static appeared on a screen that projected from Captain's helmet onto a ice wall that made a perfect sleek backdrop, a portable camera having been mounted at the top. The noise of the audio was faintly heard as it went in and out, possibly due to the weather or the long distance dimensional divide. 

“-tian? Captain!” 

A familiar voice called out and the screen flickered, revealing an all too familiar face of a youth with dark skin and light eyes. “Yo, you guys are alive!” Bellwood leaned back on the screen, hollering to someone nearby, “I've got contact!” 

“Captain, it is good to see you.” Chief Haro appeared on screen, the green haro masked man saluting the gundam. “The rest of the rescue party is well? We've been sending out a transmission every hour in hopes of contacting you.” 

“Sir! Yes, sir though there have been a few complications. I do not know how long we can maintain contact so I will keep my report brief. I'm sending you my internal mission log for details.” Captain saluted his senior officer, beginning the relay of data. 

“We were able to contact you thanks to our Kendrian allies combined with our technology. We rescued Zero's contact, Miss Star, as well as the kidnapped former Dark Axis forces consisting of Zapper Zaku, Grappler Gouf, Destroyer Dom and a band of Zako Soldiers. We were able to meet up with Miss Star's allies and are currently collaborating on a plan which I sent you the details of.” 

Suddenly a howl sounded and before anyone could react a large gundam wolf appeared in view, bounding toward the screen. Chief Haro darted to the side to avoid being bowled into by the beast while Bellwood out of frame shouted, “WHOA!” 

“GunCanine! Sorry I had to leave you behind, boy.” Captain apologized, earning a whine from his fourlegged companion before GunCanine let out howl and groan as if he were telling Captain off. The gundam wolf refused to give room in front of the screen. 

“Captain contacted home!?” Shute's voice was heard in the distance and the human boy was soon running over to where the projection was. In his excitement he nearly slipped but caught himself, reaching the projection as it flickered slightly. 

“Shute, little dude, you managed not to be a frozen popsicle?” 

“We're in an underground shelter some Kendrian gundams made so it's not too bad.” He explained, saluting Chief Haro as Bellwood reappeared, pushing GunCanine away for room, looking amazed that Shute wasn't bundled up more. “Bellwood, could you get me some supplies if the DTD is working? I'm trying to make a batch of devices to prevent brainwaves and processor pathways from being altered. It's an anti-brainwashing measure.” 

“Got you covered! Thinking way ahead of you, buddy! I know just what you need and more.” Bellwood spun on his seat, gesturing to a pile of the requested items and more. “It pays to be a genius as thinking ahead is just normal for us. And of course the DTD is working, who do you think you're talking to?” 

“Well, Zero said there was an explosion as we went through the portal…” 

“Yeah that was my stabilization machine! … Wait a minute did you think the DTD malfunctioned? We weren’t even using it! It was under maintenance! Talk about-” 

“What's this? Inventing something new?” A man dressed in a yellow robe and wearing round pink glasses suddenly appeared, thankfully interrupting Bellwood. “Sounds exciting! You must tell me all about it when you get home, Shute!” 

“Yo, Chief Kao Lyn! That flamethrower you made for me worked wonders but it broke. Got any new firepower for me?” GunEagle cut in, waving from his spot, trying to be seen at the edge of the screen. 

“Why certainly though I admit I'm disappointed my Flame-Roarer broke; guess I got to chalk that up to prototype!” The man in yellow announced, weaving about. With a flick of his wrist he presented metallic orbs. “I give you: THERMINATORS! These bad boys are thermal detonators that explode on impact or within a few seconds of taking your finger off the switch!” 

“Way awesome, Chief!” GunEagle praised, giving a thumbs up. “Can't wait to try them out!” 

“By the way, your girlfriend made a bunch of food for us to send over too.” Bellwood gestured over his shoulder at what looked like two picnic baskets. “Said she's cheering you all on and just because you're away from home you shouldn't miss out on treats.” 

“Girl-? You mean Sayla!?” Shute turned red as Bellwood smirked, enjoying the teasing as revenge for doubting the DTD. “She's not! We're not-! She didn't have to…” 

“Miss Sayla is sending food!?” Bakunetsumaru interrupted as he wandered over, his eyes shining. “It's been forever and a day since I've had any of her baked goods!” 

“I'll set up a test teleportation while we've got a lock on your location.” Bellwood informed, punching the keyboard. “I had a bunch of bananas but someone ate them all.” 

“Hey! Don't be blaming me because you left food lying around!” 

“That voice... It can't be-” Bakunetsumaru tilted his head, puzzled as he looked at the screen projecting from Neotopia. Suddenly a small figure appeared in the background, followed by a small force of Zako Soldiers. The familiar dark topknot and bratty voice said it all. 

“Genkimaru!?” The group exclaimed in unison except for those unfamiliar with the young musha gundam. 

“What? Genkimaru!?” Zapper's voice bellowed from the room he was in, carrying to where the others stood. His head popped out as he glared in the direct of the exclamation. 

“Is that good-for-nothing Zapper!? Are the other yellow-bellies with him!? Deserters, the whole lot of them!” The small figure suddenly zipped over to the screen, looking rather peeved. “Those jerks go disappearing for over a week!” 

“Whoops, we're not here.” Zapper immediately vanished again, obviously not in the mood to deal with the equally mouthy musha kid. However they could faintly hear him telling his companions, “See, I said it must have been a week!” 

“It's not what you think, Genkimaru!” Shute protested, trying to calm the fuming musha who was more powerful than he looked. “They were kidnapped and forced to do what the Demon King wanted! They were being controlled by a bad guy!” 

“So what!? I heard all about their display here in Neotopia. They're going to get such an earful from me that their audio receptors will fall off! Completely disgraceful!” 

“Why come to Neotopia though? Aren't you needed in Ark?” 

“Mr. Green Face here contacted me and filled me in. I came over as soon as I could so when the lugnuts reappeared I could give them a piece of my mind for abandoning their post!” Genkimaru glared at the screen, trying to spot the hiding robots who were conveniently taking their time with Chieko's examination. “I even dragged along **that** thing because I had a feeling.” 

“That thing?” Shute inquired, confused. In response the kid gundam pointed and the camera shifted to follow, revealing what he was talking about. 

“The Bakushin Armor!?” Bakunetsumaru stared in awe at the divine armor he'd left behind in Ark. If it was in Neotopia then there was a chance of him using it! 

“You better appreciate it! It was such a pain to bring! Also your horse is driving me crazy here.” 

“Yeah, well thanks. But it's not helpful unless I have it here with me! And be nice to Entengo! Bellwood, are you ready to test yet? I don't want your contraption to break before I get the armor!” 

“Have some faith, my hot-headed red dude. Besides don't you know it's bad luck saying things like that? I might be scientifically minded but I still believe in jinxes.” The teenager tapped away at the computer. “Test should be ready in a minute. I would have had to use an orange from my lunch since my **other** backup food disappeared. Thankfully one watermelon survived.” 

“Like I said earlier: someone should leave a note on stuff! Food laying around is finder's keepers!” 

“Captain, I am looking over the key notes to your report. I am greatly concerned by the device you found Star attached to. Priority should be to dismantle or destroy it to prevent this Demon King from dispatching his forces and spreading his influence. You must keep him contained on Kendra and put an end to his rule there.” 

“Yes sir, Chief Haro! We plan to mount a sneak attack on the Fortress while attempting to locate the sacred regalia. We will split our forces to maximize the search and then converge on the one known as the Demon King. It is our goal to free the prisoners and add them to our fighting force.” 

“I agree. I would like to send backup once we know the DTD is stable since we cannot use the Gundamusai given the present dimensional issue.” Chief Haro nodded, the masked man placing a hand under his would be chin. “Strangely enough communications between other worlds has been touch and go. Trying to contact you on Kendra however has been nearly impossible. That is why I reached out to the others.” 

“It has to be the Demon King. He's harnessing the Core's power and it's interfering with the natural magic currents. If his focus is elsewhere it makes sense why we're able to contact you without cutting off.” Star informed as she held her position, seeming to strain to keep the connection. “Sorry, I can't make a proper introduction right now. I am Hoshiko but you call me Star. I appreciate you lending aid to my homeworld.” 

“It is my pleasure and duty to do so in such circumstances, Miss Star. I look forward to when we can talk freely and be better acquainted.” 

“Chief, sir, what did you mean by reaching out to others?” Shute asked, raising his hand to soften the interruption. 

“Genkimaru isn't the only visitor we have.” 

“Who-?” Zero began but was cut off as a familiar golden blonde appeared in the background. The figure rushed over, relief on their face. 

“Zero! Thank Mana you're alright! I stepped away for but a moment and that's when you make contact!? How inconsiderate!” 

“P-princess Rele!?” The knight gundam stared in disbelief. “What are you doing in Neotopia? If I may be so bold, you should be in Lacroa, milady.” 

“As a princess I am where I am needed most. I was worried about you since I hadn't heard anything. Then Chief Haro contacted me to let me know of the situation. I was greatly distressed to learn they'd lost contact with you.” 

“It is good to see you, Princess. I'm sorry I was not able to inform you personally on the matter. I hope you will forgive me.” He bowed, knowing he had erred in not notifying the princess of his mission personally. 

“There is nothing to forgive, I commend your actions. However I sense a great evil, Zero and I fear for you and your companions.” Rele clasped her hands together, her blue eyes serious. “I know this may be a long shot but I will try to call the Feather Dragon to aid you. I want to do what I can to support you all.” 

“You're going to summon Fenn? But he's on Lacroa, you're in Neotopia and I'm on Kendra.” 

“If I can call him here we can send him to you using the DTD. Summoning him from one world and into another that I am not in is impossible.” 

“Sorry to interrupt but we're against the clock. We're good to go for the test!” Bellwood announced, “Kendra Team make sure you stand back. I'm locked on!” 

He cracked his knuckles and pressed the button to start the DTD. The device started humming and whirling in response to the command. At first nothing seemed to happen but then a swirling dark purple light appeared, expanding in front of the watermelon before sucking it in. Within seconds the fruit disappeared into the light. In Kendra a similar light appeared in front of Captain and deposited the watermelon onto the icy ground. 

“It made it!” Shute exclaimed, straining to pick up the sizable fruit and showing it to the others in Neotopia. 

“Great! I'm sending the smaller items first together since all at once with sizable items might overpower the DTD. I don't trust the connection to Kendra while dimensional interference is a strong possibility.” Bellwood informed as he set the device for the bigger teleportation as some personnel robots carted the items over. “The armor will have to come after this by itself.” 

“Please don't lose the armor or Sayla's food.” Bakunetsumaru prayed feverishly, pleading with whatever gods that were listening. 

“Alright here it goes, make sure the area is cleared!” Bellwood reached for the button once more to activate the device. Everyone seemed to hold their breath as it activated once more and a portal appeared to swallow up the pile. Once more nothing seemed to happen for a few seconds before an identical portal appeared in Kendra and dumped the items onto the ground. 

“Awesome! It looks like it's all here!” GunEagle announced, eagerly eying the new weapons and supplies but keeping his position to maintain the signal. 

“Teleportation seemed be delayed by about 30.6% but perhaps it was due to the amount of items.” Captain reported, scanning over the new supplies. 

“Alright, next is the Bakushin Armor!” Bellwood announced, signaling to bring the armor over to the device. “Princess, you can begin summoning the Feather Dragon so we're ready once he appears.” 

Suddenly a siren began to sound in the background and the inventor's demeanor changed. He bent over the screen as he began typing furiously. “Whoa! Not good!” 

“Not good? Please don't say that!” Bakunetsumaru begged, helpless to only watch as he fretted. 

“The signal is fluctuating! It's as if Kendra is disappearing off the radar like it has some cloaking device!” 

“It's the Planet's Core.” Star grunted, straining as the glow at her fingertips dimmed. “It's starting to interfere again! It's treating the connection as if it were an invasion attempt. I can't hold on much longer!” 

“I don't think I can keep the DTD locked on either! It's almost like it's pulling away!” 

“Princess!” Zero exclaimed, taking steps toward the projection. “Princess Rele!” 

“Zero! We will find a way! Hold on!” She appeared next to Bellwood, her blue eyes full of worry but determination. 

“Yeah, Bakunetsumaru! The armor-” 

The audio cut out silencing Bellwood as the screen flickered and static took over, going in and out before suddenly turning off. Silence enveloped the group as they seemed to take a moment to comprehend what had just happened. 

“Nooooo!” Bakunetsumaru wailed, staring in disbelief at the vanished transmission screen. “My armor!” 

“That sucks dude, but at least you got Sayla's food. That's fifty percent success!” GunEagle pointed out as he held onto his new weapons and was already rummaging through one of the picnic baskets, not wasting time now that he could move freely with the transmission terminated. “There's a lot of goodies in here.” 

“Drowning my sorrows in Sayla's food can only do so much.” The samurai grieved, tears in his eyes. “The armor would enhance my powers and give us a better edge over the Demon King. Why did it have to break again!? Why fate, why!?” 

“Sorry there's nothing we can do for now, Baku. Maybe we can make contact again with them before we leave and get the armor.” Shute tried to console the devastated gundam, patting him. 

“Miss Star, are you alright?” Captain inspected the gundamess who was holding one of her hands as if it ached. 

“Yes, just give me a moment.” She panted, her hand slightly shaking as her magic had momentarily diminished. “I didn't expect the resistance to be so great. I fear the Demon's tampering with the Planet's Core is going to make it difficult to contact them again let alone create a portal. At this rate you may need his device to get back to your world as the Core's recovery time is unknown. You could be stuck here for a while.” 

“Hm, I agree if the Core is preventing creating portals to Kendra we can only get off world by having it as the origin. I now estimate the chance of undetermined extended stay increasing to 64.4% but for now we must make sure the device isn't misused.” 

“So it's like a door that only swings one way!” GunEagle walked over, having strapped the thermal detonators to his waist using the belt they came with. “No admittance only exits! Sounds like a club to crash.” 

“I want to get back home as soon as I can but if I'm stuck here a bit longer I can manage.” Shute began gathering the supplies, grabbing a few boxes full of the parts needed for his invention. “Taking down that guy comes first. We'll manage like always.” 

“I fear though the Princess wishes to aid us we might be on our own. Fenn's assistance would be beneficial but the chances look bleak without a working portal.” Zero let out a sigh though seeing Princess Rele had momentarily raised his spirits. The fact that she did not chide him for his seemingly rash actions was a relief but he still felt torn between his duty to the SDG and Lacroa. “I should have asked how the knight recruits were doing like a responsible mentor....” 

“Hey now, we're living a prophecy and we're the heroes! Have some faith!” GunEagle slapped the knight on the back heartily. “Besides, I can just imagine trying to contain Fenn in Neotopia until your princess can send him here. Haha, oh man.” 

“Shute, I've finished compiling the list of received supplies but I do not have an inventory of what you possessed coming here. I have already accounted for everyone else's items save the Kendrian gundams.” Captain turned his attention toward the human. 

“Sure thing. I can tell you in a minute, if I’m not counting the electronic and metal parts they sent. I think I have what I need to make those anti-brainwashing devices now; I better get back to working on those, not sure how many I can make.” 

“If I may.” Star spoke up, her hand no longer shaking and her eyes looking brighter. “Gundams are more resistant to the Demon King's thralls but with the Planet's Core compromised I fear we won't be able to fend off his mind control much longer, even if we aren't energy depleted; the closer we are the harder it'll be to resist. For now on focus your team since we’re not certain of your immunity, we'll manage.” 

Zero's eyes were serious, “He was able to manipulate me for a time, but perhaps that is because knight gundams are not too different from mage gundams; maybe the reason being that Kendra and Lacroa are sibling dimensions, or due to our connection while you were captured. Either way, we’d best be careful.” 

“Given what happened before I'll prioritize the Axians but do my best to make enough for everyone in our group.” Shute nodded in agreement, “Hopefully Chieko's spell engravings on JunMai's tags will work too, maybe she can do some etchings on my devices.” 

“I shall assist any way I can.” Captain stepped closer to the human, showing his support. “Once you have a working prototype I can help display the design's schematics and aid in construction. You need to get some rest, you'll need your strength.” 

“Thanks, Captain I'll need all the help I can get. I have to get these done.” 

“I admire your dedication, but while our healers can ease fatigue they cannot replace proper rest. You must pace yourself. Mother Ami give us all strength.” 

“Agreed, we will leave in the morning so we all need to make sure we're prepared and rested for the journey and battle ahead.” Captain affirmed Star's remark, earning nods of approval. “We will go over our plan once more tomorrow for finalization. For now we prepare ourselves.” 

“Great, but I don't know about you guys but I can't wait to show off my new equipment right now.” GunEagle cut in, gleeful about the obtained weaponry. “Ladies will think I'm totally the bomb now.” 

“More like a landmine.” Zero muttered, shaking his head as the rookie eagerly headed back toward the others, clearly intent on trying to woo their hosts. Star sighed, clearly overhearing and trailed after the younger gundam to monitor his antics. 

“Let's get started on those devices right away!” Shute gathered as much of the supplies he could in his arms while Captain took the rest, leaving the baskets that contained Sayla's food. The military gundam looked at the knight gundam.

“Zero, if you could?”

“Sure thing, Captain. Come on, Bakunetsumaru.” 

“My armor...” The musha still moped, clinging to one of the picnic baskets as he stared longingly at the wall where he last saw the object of his desires. Letting out a sigh Zero dragged him back to the others via magic while the knight floated the other basket along. It was going to be an interesting and tense if not long night.

*~*~*

The next morning came seemingly fast as time appeared nonexistent in the underground snow shelter, no daylight or moonlight to tell what time of day it was. The gundamesses seemed adjusted however, making sure everyone was up, and assuring them it was the next day despite the non-telling scenery. Everyone began preparations for the trip, the SDG equipping themselves while those staying behind leant their magic support and hosting capabilities.

“I'm already to go! Miyuki cast an anti-frost spell over my fuel cells so they won't freeze up! This airman is no longer grounded!” GunEagle crowed, taking a proud stance to show off his enchanted wings and equipment, “I can take to the skies and bombard the enemy! They have no idea I was going easy on them before!”

“I'm feeling more like myself thanks to Hotaru. I appreciate your sacrifice, thanks again for your aid.” Bakunetsumaru replied before bowing in gratitude to the crimson  
gundamess, having thanked her more than once. “I hope you are not still unwell.”

“No worry, happy to help.” She beamed as her markings glowed green. “It is little price to pay. After a night's rest I'm fine. Thank you for the cookies.”

“He probably would have eaten them all by himself out of misery because of his missing armor so you did him a favor.” 

“I shared them with the others too! You're just mad you can't eat Sayla's amazing food.” Bakunetsumaru countered, still sore about the Bakushin Armor despite feeling in a better mood than yesterday. It'd taken a lot of hopeful assurance of it possibly coming, along with nearly all the cookies to make the samurai feel better.

“I don't have to eat food to know it's good. Kinda like myself: you just know it.” 

“Ancestors give me strength...”

“Oh yeah! While you were playing Girl Scouts I was learning the meaning of our lovely host's names!”

“You what now?”

“Yeah, you know how Star's name is Hoshiko? Hotaru's means firefly, right?” The crimson gundamess nodded eagerly and the rookie continued, “Well I found out Ringo means . Watch this.”

Armed with the power of knowledge, GunEagle sidled up to Ringo, looking smug as the larger red gundamess was talking in a rather serious manner to Chieko. “So, you wanna know something? ... You're the _ringo_ of my eye.”

She looked at him with confusion and then disgust reflecting in her bright green eyes with a hint of suspicion while the mischievous Sango giggled, the obvious informant. _“Nani?”_

“Don't encourage him.” Bakunetsumaru warned, shaking his head while Hotaru giggled as well. “He doesn't give up easily.”

“You're just jealous that I'm getting all the attention from all these lovely ladies!”

“Oh yeah? Bet you can't remember their names!”

“Psh, that's easy that's Sakura, Ringo, Ai, Chieko, Hotaru, Kasumi, Shika, Moriko, Sango, Miyuki, Kotone, Tsukiko, Kaede, and Yuka!” GunEagle pointed to each one of the gundamesses who looked either impressed or simply unmoved. “Oh and let's not forget Star and JunMai.”

The musha looked stunned, “How can you remember all their names upon hearing them once but mess up mine for years?” Bakunetsumaru himself had trouble trying to remember the names of the seven little beings from the one story that Shute's sister Nana loved; but that was just seven names at once! Yet GunEagle remembered more?

“Ha, it's easier remembering lovely ladies than the Blazing Samurai of Oak!”

“ **Ark**!” Bakunetsumaru exclaimed, letting out an exasperated sigh. He swore the rookie just did it to irritate him but part of him worried the aerial gundam really was lacking the proper memory space for that information. His personality program probably took up most of the space and the rest was all combat training data.

“What'd I miss?” Zero inquired as he appeared from one of the rooms that he used to meditate in and call upon Mana to lend him its blessing.

“A major headache.”

Before the knight could ask Shute emerged from where he'd spent the night, still looking somewhat sleepy. “Shute, how are you feeling? Did you rest well?”

The human rubbed his eyes and let out a yawn. “Fine, thanks. I was able to sleep for a bit after making the anti-brainwashing devices, which I'm calling the No-Brainers for now. I think I should have enough for us but I don't know how well they'll hold up. Chieko even gave a spell she believed could help. Hopefully they block psychic powers.”

“I'm sure they'll work just fine. Your inventions always come through in the end.”

“Thanks, Baku. I'm just disappointed I didn't get to have either of Sayla's cakes. I was so busy working I forgot and when I remembered they'd been eaten... I got a cookie though.” Shute sighed, wondering when he'd be able to taste Sayla's cakes for once in his life. “I guess they needed it more. It seemed to cheer up the gundamesses a bit.”

GunEagle gave a smug look towards the guilty Bakunetsumaru, consumer of nearly all the cookies and some cake. The musha tried his best to ignore him, “I'm sure when we get back you'll have all the cakes you want from Sayla.”

“I can't wait. Though I'd best go make sure my stuff is all packed so I don't leave anything behind.”

“Oh hey Shute, make sure you get Miyuki to cast on you too. Her anti-frost spell should keep you warmer. She's silver with stunning blue eyes.” GunEagle called out, gesturing to his optics for emphasis.

“Great idea, GunEagle. Miss Miyuki, if you don't mind I'd appreciate it after I get everything in order.” The silver gundamess gave a polite nod and bow towards Shute from where she stood nearby, though she seemed to be blushing over the compliment.

“Ever the silver-tongued one.” Bakunetsumaru shook his head as GunEagle continued to cozy up with the friendlier gundamesses. “Where’s Captain?”

“I am here. I was attempting to contact Neotopia once more but with no success. Miss Star was aiding me in finding a hotspot again but it seems the magic currents have shifted.” The military gundam responded as he rounded a corner, Star close behind. “Where are Zapper and the crew?”

“Last I saw them they were hanging out in one of the far rooms, complaining about getting as far away from organics as possible.” Shute gestured in the direction the robots had last been seen. “Guess Grappler got the heebie-jeebies with the trees here.”

Captain nodded, “I'd like to go over the mission once more with everyone. I’ve compiled the new data and formulated a modified plan due to detail changes.” 

“I'll round up my mission comrades so once we're done we can be on our way rightly prepared.” Star spoke up, her eyes reflecting her serious tone.

“Yeah, best go over our plan of action once more in case **some** bots forgot.” GunEagle rolled his head toward the direction he believed the Axian crew to be. “Though I **guess** another debriefing is protocol.”

“I'll go get them.” Bakunetsumaru volunteered and headed off to locate the missing robots, eager to get away from GunEagle for a little bit. Given the size of the underground camp it wasn't going to take long to find them. 

It only took a few minutes to find the Axians before they were begrudgingly ushered to the others. Everyone seemed to be gathered, waiting with anticipation for what would take place after the mission strategy was confirmed. 

“Let me get this straight. We're supposed to sneak into that giant ice-pop of a fortress, split up into two teams in order to look for these regalia things, find weapons, rescue any prisoners and then regroup to take down the Demon King?” Zapper summed up after Captain finished, looking disgruntled. “I thought we went over this already.”

“Dah, weapons!” Dom exclaimed, noting that part of the plan with clear relish.

“In addition to securing this ‘Eye’ Miss Star mentioned so he cannot use it for dimensional transportation and also destroying the energy syphoner. We can use it to return to our own dimensions if the DTD is still unable to sync to Kendra's reality frequency.” Captain added factually. “I cannot estimate how long it will be until we make contact with Neotopia again. We can hope it’ll be within in reasonable time.” 

“I wouldn't hold my breath.” Grappler muttered, having no faith in the temperamental device even if it was their only shot at getting of the icy planet. “This would be tolerable if it weren't so cold and there weren't so many gundams!”

“How are we going to get back to the Fortress in time? It took us like a day to get here and that was after we fell like a billion feet.” GunEagle inquired, raising his hand. “Not to be the party-pooper but we're on a tight schedule since we don’t know what this jerk's timetable is. Teleportation magic would be really handy right now.”

Star shook her head, “The Planet's Core isn't replenishing our magic at a steady rate; it takes me longer to regain the expelled amount without a catalyst like my staff to draw power from. Teleportation demands a massive amount of energy, especially if it is not just the caster moving through space. I would be out of magic by the time we reached the Fortress, if I can reach there.” 

“We need alternate means that won't compromise one's health as no a magic aid, a catalyst, means is trouble.” JunMai suddenly spoke up. “For our duo rescue mission Hoshiko was able to draw extra energy from her staff, but that is in the Fortress. She does not have that medium to help cast, like I do with my tags.”

Star gave her second in command a reassuring pat as the other glared at GunEagle; she had missed the inquires about Star's abilities in the Lightning Caverns and unfortunately thought he was being insensitive in regard to the exploitation Star endured for teleportation magic. He however looked clueless about the apparent offense.

“Even if I could, I need to have a familiar person or clear place to focus on as an anchor point; before I focused on prisoners I knew but them being is stasis makes it hard. When I sent Zero back to Neotopia I’d seen parts of it when the Demon King was spying with the Eye. If I focus on that monster it would likely land us very close and we need time before engaging him.” 

“What about on the Fortress itself?” Shute asked, thinking.

“We could end up anywhere from outside, near or far, lost inside, or even where that demon is as he's been also corrupting the leylines, magic veins that connect and conduct magic throughout our planet. We'd be at the mercy of tainted magic.”

“I don't like the idea of possibly being dropped at the enemy's feet. We went through that once already with the Dark Axis.” Bakunetsumaru shook his head at the memory of when they met General Zeong. “Maybe if it were an ambush in our favor, but we could be at a disadvantage if we end up in the wrong place.”

“Again, how we're going to get there? Walk and hope we make it in time?” Zapper demanded while the Zako Soldiers hollered in agreement. “I'm not going through that electricity field again!”

“Actually if I may.” A brown gundamess stepped forward, her chestnut colored eyes hopeful; it was the one GunEagle had identified as Shika earlier. “A couple of us went out to scout earlier and found a fresh Ice Crawler tunnel that seems like a near straight shot to the Ice Fortress. Strangely though we haven't seen any trace of the abominations, it's as if they simply disappeared. The weather outside is as erratic as ever however, turning from clear to full whiteout within minutes.”

“Likely the monstrosities' magic got sucked up and returned to being heaps of snow.” Ringo surmised, her voice full of disgust.

“Perhaps, either way it bodes badly. The magic has been more off today than usual since the Demon's coming. I fear what he's up to, putting more strain on the Planet's Core.” Star's fist clenched as her fellow Kendrians murmured amongst themselves.

“Then that means we just got to get this show on the road and put a stop to this Lord Lameo!” GunEagle cut in, drawing attention to himself while he winked.

“Given this new info, if we have a near clear shot to the Fortress our chances of success greatly multiply. However our speed and time of destination is crucial. We need efficient transportation.” Captain looked around the room for signs of contribution. 

“I can take care of that.” Miyuki raised a hand. “It will take a little time but I can craft a sled to carry the team; it’ll need something to pull it as my summon spirit cannot.”

“You can use mine. She's strong and fast and the snow will not hinder her,” Kasumi, the aquatic looking silvery blue gundamess, volunteered. 

“That's more like it! Ladies working together.” GunEagle praised, emerald eyes shimmering as he passionately gestured. “With your ladies’ brilliance and my awesomeness we'll kick this imposter to the curb in no time! Can't wait to see my sweet ride!”

“With that taken care of I suppose this meeting is adjourned?” Zero said, trying to ignore the antics of his comrade. “We don’t want to delay.”

There were various nods and Star turned towards Captain, “I confirm with the others who will join myself and JunMai in aiding you.”

“Thank you, Miss Star. We'll finalize preparations and be ready to leave at a moment's notice.”

“Me want to listen to pretty voice lady again before we go.” Dom announced, startling those around him. “Feel better.”

“I guess it won't hurt... unlike having a **large idiot** falling onto you during the night and hurting your **back**.” Zapper seethed while the larger robot seemed clueless about the alleged accident. “A quick heal, **just in case**.” 

“I swear you both aren't right in the head.” Grappler looked in disgust at the two who were willing so subjugate themselves to any gundam. However they ignored him and made way for the Healing Room, the Zakos following after uttering their own impressions.

“Alright everyone, double check your equipment and be ready for immediate departure starting thirty minutes from now.” Captain wrapped up, “Mission will begin in less than zero two hundred hours. Together we'll take down this tyrant and free Kendra once and for all.”

“ _Kibou Hoshi_!” Came the rallying cry as the clock began the final count down.

*~*~*

“Bye bye, song lady. Your singing good unlike other gundams.” Dom waved to the honey colored gundamess Kotone as they left the Healing Room, Zapper's session just ending. “Me actually feel better hearing you.”

“Those tone deaf gundamesses back on that other organic heap of a planet just about corroded my audio receptors.” Grappler fussed at memory of the Mizu clan ryuu gundamesses who had put the gundams under a spell with their singing while everyone else was left to listen to the horrible racket. Out of all the tortures and trials he had endured that was one of the worst.

“I still have nightmares from that racket.” Zapper added, rubbing the side of his head at the memory from Kaon. The juvenile organic, Shute, had said they were like sirens, mythical creatures similar to some human lore, but Zapper honestly thought the alarm sirens on Neotopia sounded much better. 

“Despite differences in alliance in the past, it is my duty to heal those in need.” Kotone bowed politely as she stood outside the Room, accompanying the Axians out. “It pleases me that we are allies now.” 

“Well, that's mighty charitable of you. Though I guess we can never expect much improvement for a certain someone.” Grappler dryly commented, clearly looking in the direction of Dom.

“I sensed... something broken inside him, like some disconnect I couldn't quite heal.” Kotone admitted, waving to the large robot who looked rather content reciting to the Zako Soldiers what weapons he wanted to add back to his collection. “It's been there for a while, I only do so much for old injuries.” 

“Don't worry about it, sister; D. Dom used to be a bit different until he crossed paths with the Gundam Force. After being blown up real good, getting his bolts loosened and wires crossed a few times, he's been this way. Frankly it's an improvement despite the annoyances.” 

“I don't know I swear sometimes he's just acting simpleminded and other times not. I think his wires get jarred just enough to make him spit out something intelligent.” Zapper interjected, eyeing the subject of the discussion suspiciously. “I just can't wait to blow this popsicle stand.” 

Before more could be said GunEagle popped out from the entryway that lead to the new tunnel, announcing with too much volume and pride, “The sled is complete! Come on, slowpokes! Last one there is a faulty circuit!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Visual Refs~  
> Kendrian Gundams:   
> [(1)](https://www.deviantart.com/cinnamonroe/art/SDGF-Kendrian-Gundams-1-749689721)  
> [(2)](https://www.deviantart.com/cinnamonroe/art/SDGF-Kendrian-Gundams-2-759819496)
> 
> \--
> 
> Pop culture refs:  
> “I ain't afraid of no ghost” (Ghostbusters)  
> “Kendrian Candidate” (The Manchurian Candidate)
> 
> \--  
> Credits:
> 
> GunCanine, Mizu clan, Kaon © PumpkinaChai


End file.
